iinet have a fantastic new website for new customers. Try it – go through the process to sign up for a service (use 6160 for Fremantle’s postcode).
The front page is simplicity itself.
Then it’s straight into questions that you can relate to:
The guy’s statements change with each screen – and they are actually helpful.
You can also go down a business route, and the questions are quite different. (do try it)
After 4 steps (which are actually fun, aside from the postcode/phone number bit) you get presented with three options. The consumer version came up with the option that I eventually selected for myself – that would have saved me a bit of time. Here is the business version
all in all a wonderful demonstration of how excellent usability can drive customer acquisition.
Or does it?
Sadly clicking on one of those business links led to this rather unseemly page.
Not only is the design ugly, the promised product didn’t show, and wehen I followed my nose I got asked for a phone number. I wanted naked ADSL, so no phone number should be required. Besides, I had already given my postcode earlier.
I figured out that I had to click the Naked DSL box on the far right (lucky I have a big screen), and I did so and faced another failure of a page. Sad.
I will guess that iiNet sees a mass exodus of potential customers from the process at this point. Some more work to do then, but a really promising start.
Lance Wiggs 