Are All Systems Go for Your Customers?

I was talking with a friend the other day about a certain inbound marketing website we both love (cough, HubSpot, cough). He asked if I was signed up to their list, and I am — I love their free tools and reports; they put out some excellent content.But then he related to me what really frustrates him about the HubSpot experience, and I agreed that it could be improved upon. I want to clarify up-front that it’s the process I’m calling out here, rather than HubSpot itself. I see it on dozens of lead-generation websites.When you try to download any of HubSpot’s reports, tools, or videos, you’re asked for some standard information such as name, company, email, and so on. You’re also given the option to sign up for notifications of future reports and resources as they become available. Once you’ve filled out the form, you’re taken to a download page where you can access the content. All of this works great.Remember Your CustomersThen, once you’ve downloaded the report and signed up for their email list, HubSpot will occasionally let you know about a new report. Here’s where it becomes frustrating for the end user. You’ve already downloaded a report and filled out the personal information. Clearly, you were entered in their database, because they’re emailing you about downloading another report. Yet, when you click on the link to download a new report, you’re taken to the same landing page as everyone else, and asked to fill out your personal information again.As a user who’s downloaded a dozen or more reports from HubSpot, I can tell you it’s a little annoying having to fill out my personal information every time. HubSpot certainly has my information; they could make it easier for me by embedding a special link in their email taking me straight to the download page. They could still track the link back to my profile in their CRM system, achieving the same end result while greatly improving the user experience, and likely leading to far more downloads.Are Your Processes Customer-friendly?Are there processes in your business that work fine, but the customer experience could be significantly improved? Look closely at your procedures through the eyes of your customers — and ask yourself, where can you improve the experience.