An optimized contact form for your website can help you generate new leads and resolve customer issues faster.

These days, you’ll never find a website that doesn’t have a “Contact Us” page. And while companies recognize this as a key component of their website, most of them don’t realize just how important it can be.

For one thing, contact forms help companies generate new leads from customers, possible business partners, and even prospective employees. Similarly, it can serve as the starting point of customer support transactions. In such cases, the contact form sets the tone of the interaction and hastens problem resolution, leading to a much better customer experience.
Here are five best practices for optimizing your website’s contact form.

1. Make it easy to find.

The function of the “Contact Us” page is to give users a quick way to get in touch with you so they can voice out their concerns or ask questions. This whole purpose is defeated if customers can’t locate this page. To make it easy to find, make sure that your web design allows for easy navigation. The link or button that leads to this page must be visible across all of your website’s pages and subpages. Using simple, straightforward terms such as “Contact,” “Help,” and “Support” will also help your site visitors locate it at a glance.

2. Humanize your services.

Frustrated customers often want to communicate with a real person who can truly understand their concerns. There are two ways to humanize your online services through the contact form. One is to use conversational language not just in the feedback page but in your entire website. The other is to introduce your customer service team and top managers to users. For a more personal approach, you may include photos or videos showing your employees and executives.

3. Design it according to customers’ need.

There are many possible reasons why customers would want to get in touch with you or your customer support agents. That’s why if you’re catering to a large market, it’s best to sort inquiries automatically the moment you receive them. Through the “Contact Us” page, you may ask visitors to categorize their issue by letting them choose from a dropdown menu. This way, you can route queries to the agents with the necessary skill set and knowledge needed to handle their specific problem.

4. Include links it to other contact options.

The secret in providing good customer service is to offer plenty of choices, so people can choose the option they prefer the most. This is why many brands have started to deploy an omnichannel strategy. If you’re also providing services via social media, email, live chat, or phone, you may connect web visitors to these channels by including links and other details on your contact page.

5. Tell customers when you’ll respond.

This is the part most companies tend to forget. When customers leave you a message, they expect a prompt reply, so let them know when you’ll get back to them. Most contact forms ask visitors to provide their email or mobile number for this purpose, but be sure to set a schedule for your response and stick to it.