Drive Profits With A Customer Experience Dashboard Not Google Analytics

Google Analytics stinks. Actually, so does any other Web analytics tool for that matter. Why? Analytics packages give most online marketers a false sense of security. Like little marketing automatons we’ve been trained to install analytics packages on our Web sites and review the data early and often. So we do it. You know the drill:

Visitors: check
Orders: check
Conversion Rate: check

What ever the statistics are, we’re there. With bells on. Daily. Weekly. Monthly. We’re doing it right. Right? Well – partially.

The problem is that most marketers look at click-stream analytics as the entire story when it comes to Web site data mining and online customer experience analysis. But, it’s only half the picture. Remember – there are real people out there interacting with your Web site and your products – not nameless, faceless bits and bytes. By taking a step back, defining the true goals of your Web site and incorporating some additional tools that allow a true 360-degree view of your users, you will be able to drive profits and make better decisions for your business than with a Web analytics package alone.

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading some comments on Sphinn. A reader had asked a question about click stream data he was seeing on his site. Apparently, his home page bounce rate was low, and consequently he was seeing visitors leave from areas much deeper within the site. He was a bit unsure whether that was good or bad – and he was asking for a bit of advice. To be honest, I didn’t stick around to read the responses, and I didn’t answer his question either.  But his dilema stuck in my head. Was this good or bad? The ultimate answer revolves around whether the users visiting his Web site achieved the goals he’s established for his site: subscribed to an email or rss feed,  bought a product – whatever (photo by itto.be).

1. What’s the goal?

I’m not knocking the guy. But, answering this question right out the gate is the first step in driving profitable decisions online. What is the goal of your Web site? Figure it out now – and let that decision drive every aspect of the online strategy: Design, content, call center scripts. You name it. The Heath boys talk about this point in their book, Made to Stick: Describe your mission or goal in one simple phrase, sentence or idea. It works.

2. What are the KPIs?

Once you’ve established what your overall goal (or goals) are, you should spend some time figuring out how you should measure them. Develop some KPIs (key performance indicators) that can keep track of a defined set of metrics over time without getting inundated with information. The important thing here is that you should not rely on Web analytics data alone. If you do, you’ll be missing the boat on a ton of great information that will help you run your business and take it to the next level. Some examples:

A. Pre-and-post sales polling data: Allows for real customer feedback covering any kind of questions you deem important in helping you achieve your goals. You can gather this information in a number of ways. Many forums and bulletin board systems come with polling functionality out of the box. For post-sales and multi-channel questionnaires, there are a few options. You or your organization can invest in a firm like Foresee Results. There’s a ton of degrees and methodologies to their madness, and they specialize in merging online and offline experiences in a coherent and actionable manner. A definite challenge for most organizations who are selling in both direct and multi-channel online as well as bricks and mortar.

If you’ve got Chimay taste on a PBR budget, try iPerceptions. Avinash Kaushik, the analytics evangelist for Google, has developed the best of both worlds. If you want the full service agency approach, iPerceptions can accommodate. If you want the DIY approach, they offer the free 4Q.

B. Click-stream analytics: Sure you’ve got the Google Analytics set up. But, are the metrics you’re tracking on a regular basis tie into your goal(s). They should. We’re talking 3-5 key data points. That’s it. Any more than that, you’ll be swimming in data and indecisive. If you’ve got a budget, it might be worth your while to look into a firm like Omniture Site Catalyst. The Site Catalyst platform offers much more flexibility, plus a consultative support staff to be able to help you set up the reports you need to help you monitor your online busines effectively.

C. On-site usability testing: Being able to watch your visitors use your Web site can be worth it’s weight in gold. I’m not sure why, but face-to-face usability testing and the books of Jakob Nielsen were standard fare a decade ago. Traditional testing can be expensive. Alternatively, a firm like Clicktale will be able to record users on your site for you and you design team to review later. An enterprise version is offered by Tealeaf, I’m sure with a load of consultative features, if this area is new to you.

D. Customer comments and reviews: Ok – let’s be honest. Many organizations have been falling all over themselves over the past 3 years trying to employ customer comments and reviews on their sites – for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, it’s continually updated content that has some serious Google juice. Secondly – and much more importantly, it lowers a significant barrier on most E-commerce sites regarding purchase indecision.  But, many organizations get these comments and reviews up and running and don’t review the data themselves. Big mistake.

If you’re not into developing customer comments and reviews for your Web site and you sell physical product, try getting hooked up with BizRate. They do a fantastic job in offering post sales surveys to customers as well as fulfillment questionnaires. Plus, you don’t have to sweat any kind of implementation or integration. Just post a link on your order confirmation page.

Point is – click data is chump change. Dig deeper and reap the rewards. I’ve gotten a bit long winded here. So, later in the week I’ll publish part 2 on this topic. We’ll go into KPIs, creating the dashboard and developing a feedback loop of information.

To continue reading, move on to the second in this series: Driving Profits With A Customer Experience Dashboard Part 2.