poke around, and talk to a salesperson.

1. Burger King, for instance, has several viral sites. www.subservientchicken.com is probably the

most famous because it was pioneering in both its content and its subtle brand treatment.

4

OVERVIEW

Support

Once a company has its first customer, the need for customer support becomes immedi-

ate and unavoidable. Different businesses will see their customer support manifest in dif- 1

ferent ways. Software companies need to provide a host of support options, while a

manufacturer of cement mix might only need a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page

and a phone number to call with questions. Whatever the case, a corporate website should

provide patrons with as many tools as possible to get the answer they need without jump-

ing through hoops, and if possible, without calling the company.

Providing extended information

No matter how simple your business model, product or patented process, someone out

there will need a better explanation than your homepage provides. The FAQ page is a

great place to start. The FAQ can also straddle the marketing sphere; while it addresses

questions, the answers could have a marketing spin.

Beyond the high-level FAQ, a company needs to provide in-depth documentation on its

products or services. A software company should provide manuals, security updates, and

bug fixes on its website; a restaurant should post its menu (and nutritional information if

possible); a company that manufactures wood polish should provide information on how

to best apply the chemicals. In other words, your company must discuss the practical use

of its products or services.

The community

The community is a public forum or similar environment in which customers of the com-

pany can interact with one another and representatives of the host corporation. The goal

is for users to ask questions knowing they are in the right place, asking the right people.

Sometimes the community is simply a message board; sometimes it’s a rich suite of

services.

The goal of the community is threefold. First, it relieves a business from having to predict

and answer every single question on their own support section. Second, it alleviates stress

on the support team when users can simply ask each other instead of submitting support