Last week I discussed some examples of Key Performance Indicators for lead generation based websites; this week, I'm going to look at some examples of key performance indicators for customer service and support based sites. 

No matter what type of business you are in, you would be foolish to think that the buying cycle ends with a final purchase, because that means you are ignoring the service and support that keep customers loyal to your product and brand. In recent years, service marketing has become more and more important, becoming the key competitive advantage for almost every successful company as consumer access to variations of product or price are readily available through the Internet. (Your competition is always just a click away!)  Does the term "lifetime value" mean anything to you? Providing service and support may be the defining reason as to why a customer selects your business instead of the competition.  As a result, measuring the proper key performance indicators for service/support sites is essential. How else can you be certain that your loyalty programs and service messaging is effectively reaching and capturing your target market?

Content Based vs. Lead Generation vs. e-Commerce vs. Service and Support

We’ve already established that your site is customer service/support based site and that you provide customer support online.  So what metrics or KPIs should you measure? 

There are specific metrics that should be tracked, such as support videos or podcasts accessed, "Learn More" clicks etc., and there are also some general metrics that should be tracked, such as length of visit, searches per visit and others. 

Depending on the level of online service and support that your site offers, your key performance indicators for your online campaign may vary.  Regardless, here are some metrics that you will always want to consider:

• Conversion Rate: In this case a "conversion" would be something like the likelihood that a user will successfully locate the information needed

• Length of Visit: in this instance, a decreasing number is a good thing, as you want to make the process of using your site efficient.

• Percent of Visits under 90 Seconds: you want to make the site efficient, but not difficult to use. Measure the percent of your audience that is unlikely to have found the information they sought

• Percent Returning Visitors: percentage of retained visitors returning to your site

• Percentage of Visits by Entry Page: top entry points into support content, many of which may be driven from external searches

• Top Internal Search Phrases: not a KPI in the "traditional" sense, but very important to identifying new trends in support needs.  Tracking which phrases users type into your internal search will help indicate what type of information they are seeking.

• Videos/Podcasts Accessed: including technical support videos or podcasts

• Searches per Visits

•  Exits from the Results Page

• Customer Satisfaction Metrics: determine if the site is successfully handling problems

• Ad Clicks

• Exit Surveys

• Forum Logins

• Resources Accessed

These are only a few examples of key performance indicators that you, an owner of a service/support based site, should consider tracking. They may not be universal to every business; it is important that your KPIs reflect your businesses strategic needs.

Overrated Metrics

Over the past few weeks, we have examined examples of different KPIs for all the various types of sites out there.  As with any type of site, there are often metrics that may not be the proper indicator for what your business goals are.  Internal metrics may not be the best key performance indicator for your site.  Many site owners often focus on metrics that are overrated or don't accurately measure what the goals of their business are. As important as knowing who your target audience is for your online messaging; it is equally important to know what your specific metrics should be. How else can you know that you are actually reaching your audience, or that your messaging is right?

It may be time that you revisit the KPIs that you are monitoring for your site?  Ensuring that you are measuring the proper key performance indicators for your site, regardless of the type of site that you have, can guarantee that you experience both online and offline success.

Jody Nimetz
Search Marketing Strategist
Search Engine Positioning by Searchengineposition
Enquiro Full Service Search Engine Marketing
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2005 - Enquiro Search Solutions.
This article can be reproduced in its entirety, if the author credit is retained and there is a prominent source link to www.enquiro.com.
Visit our technical and news site www.searchengineposition.com.