request for site reviews - QualityService.org

[cooper]

QSC (http://www.QualityService.org) is a new concept in customer service. The consumer web site provides a place for consumers looking for a service professional (usually in some sort of sales position) to locate and contact a Quality Service Certified service professional in his/her area. A Quality Service Certified service professional is someone that has been through a training program and is required to submit basic contact information about each customer he/she serves. A customer satisfaction survey is mailed to each person/group and the aggregated survey results are available to the general public in the form of an index or "Customer Satisfaction Rating (http://www.qualityservice.org/whyqsc_csr.asp)".

This site is a little over two years old and we are going to start marketing it heavily in the near future. Before we dive into the marketing end of the program we will be redesigning the site to include more industries and more information for the visiting consumer. Currently the site is focused on real estate. Our goal is to add Mortgage, Escrow, and Home Warranty in the near future and expand out from there into other related service industries.

What I would like to know is what people think about the concept, the web site and how they think we could better meet the needs of consumers.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your responses.

Cooper
Quality Service Certification, Inc. (http://www.QualityService.org)

[Mineka]

It looks pretty useful your website, cooper.

The only things I would say about it is that when I reload a page, all the graphics seem to take a little time in downloading. Not so as one would be annoyed, since I am on a Broadband connection, but I could only imagine what it might be like on a 56K modem.

Also, after going through all the Provinces for contacts in Canada, I only found two. Although this is not an issue in itself, perhaps a link could be provided to allow visitors another option (if, indeed, there are any available) if they cannot find an agent locally. This would be better than, for example, searching under BC, finding nothing, then not knowing where to go next (except another website!!).
Even a link under the search results to your contact page might make for one enquiry more.

Perhaps, also, a link for QSC agents to join your list?

Hope this is helpful, since this is the first time I have ever been introduced to your line of work.

Best regards,
Mineka.

[cooper]

Excellent! Thank you, these are excellent points. I have been wanting to address the image heavy design. All those gradients take time to download.

I like your idea for the "if nothing here, suggest the next closest location" option. This will most likely make it into the next version of the site. Right now our canadian base of members is not very strong. We are working on that as well. There are a few US states that are light as well. It's a fairly new program with about 5000 members so far and growing. North America is a large territory to cover but we are gaining momentum.

There is a small link at the top of every page and a couple on the home page for service professionals to join the QSC program (http://www.QualityCertified.org). We will probably end up pushing that a little more as well.

Thank you so much for your suggestions!
Cooper

[paulduffield]

I like the look of the site and the images were pretty quick for me in the UK on broadband. Blink and you miss it quick in fact. Maybe it is a server issue or something. Perhaps someone else could test to see what they find.

What package did you use to produce the site with ?

Paul D.

[cooper]

What package did you use to produce the site with ?

Paul D.

We used a variety of software packages. The site was done with hand-coded ASP using an Access database that we will be switching to a SQL Server database soon. The design was done with Photoshop and Fireworks. Layout was done with Dreamweaver and some hand-coded HTML/JavaScript and we use DW to manage the site. There was some other software we used as well but those are the main packages.

Thanks for your comments!
Cooper

[cooper]

We also have a service professionals' web site that we are in the middle of redesigning and integrating a whole new back-end data management system.
I would like to know what you people think of the existing site and what you would change about it. I already have a myriad of ideas but maybe I am missing some important aspects of the user experience.

Thanks!
Cooper
http://www.qualitycertified.org
and don't forget the original site review request:
http://www.qualityservice.org

[paulduffield]

tiny point for me was that the fact it was a real estate related site was a bit lost in the push for the certification element. Maybe the getting the words real estate a little more prominent in a heading somewhere early may help with this ?

Other wise site look great and in terms of speed it is lightening !

Regards,

[marketinguru]

Site looks good. Easy to navigate. Loaded fast....I use cable access.
I would add a "testimonials" page.

Good job!
Rich

[cooper]

Those are great ideas guys!
They confirm what I have also found. I have inherited this site from a long time ago and I am anxious to see the new site launched. Your reviews help quite a bit in determining our new design routes.

Thanks again,
Cooper

[janeth]

I love the site it loads fast and looks good.

[cooper]

I love the site it loads fast and looks good.
Thanks! What did you like most about it? What would you change about it?

Cooper

[icefarm]

Great idea and great site to promote it. Found it well laid out with any questions that came to mind well covered and answers easy to find.

As someone else said the only part that is a little disconcerting is if you search for an agent in an area that happens to have none signed up. Kind of leaves you having to use the back button as your best next step. The assumption seems to be if you search for a Canadian or a US agent you will never want to search the other country. Nothing really terrible just less than ideal. Why not just send viewer back to previous page with notice of no agent available in that state/prov?

Have to admit though really had to work to find anything negative. Look forward to seeing your upgraded site in the future.

[GSO]

Hello Cooper,
I checked the download time on my 56K dial-up standby ISP and your site down-loaded in millisecounds. I would like to suggest that you could make your panorama thumbnails photos into a slow slideshow with Ashampo Illuminator program. This would be striking and interesting.

[GSO]

Hello Cooper,
I checked the download time on my 56K dial-up standby ISP and your site down-loaded in millisecounds. I would like to suggest that you could make your panorama thumbnails photos into a slow slideshow with Ashampo Illuminator program. This would be striking and interesting.

[dmcgill]

I like what your concept is and the design is great. Fast loading and uses all the rules in good marketing.

When you launch your promotion, be sure and check out www.proudlycanadain.net and www.webworldindex.com. We can give you a great promotion for a great price as well. Also we would be happy to give you your own catagory if you like.
Great work.
Dmcgill

[cooper]

Thank you everybody for your reviews, they really make an impact on our decisions for the redesign.
The next closest agent option is definitely going to be in the next release. Hopefully we can also close those gaps by then. More agents sign-up every day. We are also moving into the mortgage industry so that should be a good move.

I'm not sure I understand your idea, GSO. I'm glad you got some speedy downloads.

dmcgill I will pass along your information and who knows, maybe we can utilize your services.

Thanks again all,
Cooper

[mizambar]

Visited your site today and thought it was excellent...

I did searches in both the agent box and the map locater and the results were instant.

My only comment as a user was that the contact information at the bottom the page is hard to read. It might be just the computer that I use, but the numbers and characters appear to be blurred...

Anyway keep up the great work...

Oh yeah, I had a quick question about the review that you did for me. It is listed under the comment that you provided...thanks.

Sincerely,
Scott