Website redesign lessons

When you go through a corporate site re-branding and restructure, beware the consequences for your support site efficiency. Here are some key factors to consider:

1. A design agency is likely to know almost nothing about support site usability. Don't assume they know anything even if client example sites included a support section. Designers tend to have a strong voice in homogenizing site features.

2. Search design is critical to your success. That is, placement of the search box(es), global controls over collections and organization of search results.

3. Evaluate top-down design decisions for your customers. Using flashy animated elements or elements that do not work well with older browsers, may not make your customers happy.

4. Consider how Web 2.0 elements may newly assist customers.

5. Consider the importance of URL consistency. How much redirection will be needed and how much you will need to redirect to generic areas like the home page of support.

6. Battle the righteous fight with your Marketing group if they attempt to make it difficult for customers to identify your individual product SKUs. Marketing and Sales departments think about now and the future. Customer Service groups think about now and the past.

7. Customers may understand support lifecycle management as a principle but they understand it like taxes; a necessary evil. Keep older content even if it does not meet the branding guidelines but make it clear that the customer uses it unsupported and at their own risk.

8. Your KPI measures may be harder to measure in recessionary times or the tools available may differ at the end of the project. Be ready to be flexible on KPI measurement.

9. Do your homework before the redesign to establish the relative importance of your support within your web ecosphere. It's a bit like division of Antarctica - control the appropriately sized slice of the cake.

Customer Support groups need to protect brand loyalty and the support & service value that customers purchase. The cost of service and support is part of your COGS in a B2C product. It's a long term play but one worth protecting for a faster recovery from constrained times.