Nothing tells your customers “Please, don’t contact us–ever” quite like using CAPTCHA on your website. Sure, CAPTCHA is an effective way to weed out those annoying bots jamming your order system, but it also weeds out frustrated prospects and customers.
Do you really want to create a barrier between you and your customers just so you can stop a few spam bots?
Maybe it wasn’t your decision. Maybe is was the folks in IT working to keep your inbox clean and clear. Are you going to let the IT department make your important customer service and brand experience decisions?
Do your brand a favor, and more importantly, do your customers a favor: Kill the captcha.
Post script - Several folks have commented via social media that this post is naive or ignores the challenges that led companies to use captcha. I’m not saying spam entries aren’t a problem. I saying it’s not your customer’s problem. You can’t solve your IT challenge by transferring your burden to the customer.
You may want to take a look at areyouahuman. They are a startup out of Detroit that is taking a unique approach to captcha and add a little fun to the process. While I think it’s a big improvement over blurry words, it still place the burden on the customer.
Are you building your mobile website for you or are you building it for your customers?
Marketers get excited with the prospect of mobile. With half of all web traffic slated to be coming from a smart phone in the next few years, it’s no surprise.
But as brands rush to sieze this opportunity with shiny new iPhone apps and mobile websites, some are forgetting to answer the who, the what and the why.
Before you start to write a line of code or design a pixel of the interface, you need to look at your mobile user experience. Who exactly is your target audience? What information will they need/want to access on the go? Have you developed customer profiles or personas to help you define features? Why are building this app/site in the first place? What is your defined business goal?
Gee whiz technology and whiz bang graphics will never be a substitute for a solid mobile strategy. Always start with your user in mind and then develop an remarkable user experience.
Need a little help developing your brand’s mobile strategy, personas or user experience? Talk to the good folks at Curve Detroit. http://curvedetroit.com
Hello, Hello. My name is Charlie. I'm a purveyor of attention.
I hang my hat at a marketing strategy, creative design and social technology firm called Curve Detroit. I'm the curator of TEDxDetroit and help run a social network in Detroit called Motor City Connect.
I love big ideas and big mountains and big sandwiches. I hate poorly designed billboards, speed limits and people who flick cigarette butts out the window. I know a thing or two about advertising, marketing and social media.
I'm on a mission to rekindle the fire in your belly.#makeithappen
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