An open, efficient line of communication is beneficial to customers and the bottom line. Yet judging by many “contact us” pages, you’d never think this is the case. Much like “about us” pages, many “contact us” pages seem like throwaways. They receive little love and even less effort.

This is easily remedied with a little thought and some planning.

Common “Contact Us” Mistakes and Solutions

Problem: Prospects don’t know whom they should contact. Many companies do a great job of listing all the different contact numbers, contact info, and corresponding departments but offer very little guidance on which contact option is the best, or even correct, choice.

The Citi page lists the contact info above the fold, but whom should I call if I have a question about the credit card application I just submitted online? Do I contact the credit card contact number, the account contact number, or the online contact number?

American Airlines gives it a good try, but this pop-up is just too frustrating to be useful. It isn’t obvious that clicking on the left-hand link will give you actual contact information. You must first read the incredibly small text to figure it out. If I just booked my vacation and bought the tickets from American, whom do I contact to change my flight? Do I click “AA Vacations”? “Customer Relations”? “Reservations”?

Continue reading my column at ClickZ…