Let’s talk about web contact forms

February 26, 2012 I 4 Comments

If the only way I can contact you on your church website is a web
contact form, I won’t contact you.

  • I worry that I will spend time typing out the message and then I will get an error message and it won’t send.
  • I worry that no one regularly checks and replies to these messages.
  • I hate having to fill out all your fields.
  • I worry that the person who does check and reply to these messages won’t really help me and will not forward my message on to the relevant person.
  • I worry about getting auto-subscribed to the church’s newsletter.
  • I rarely get given the opportunity to send a copy of this message to my email account - so I have no record of the message being sent.

Just don’t do it. Give me a phone number. And give me an email
address. Your web contact form sux.

Comments
Ben Hudson
definitely. I hardly ever use web contact forms.
#2 of 0 top
Steve
Good thoughts Mikey. I wouldn't go so far as to say never use contact forms, but if you're going to use them, only make mandatory the fields that should be.

I've written about this a couple of times - it's a pet peeve! 

http://www.communicatejesus.com/2011/04/do-you-want-people-to-contact-you/
http://www.communicatejesus.com/2011/01/is-the-customer-really-in-control/
http://www.communicatejesus.com/2009/07/dont-make-contact-painful/
#3 of 0 top
Mikey Lynch
Quite a back catalog, Steve.

'Never' is an overstatement, yes.

Thanks for commenting!
#4 of 0 top
Dan
We used web contact forms when we were building a core group for planting a church. They worked a treat. we've had 121 subscribers in 6 months.... but, they are already motivated so it's different.
#5 of 0 top
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