Contact buttons are just like opinions; everybody has one

If you look closely, a company’s contact page tells you much more about them than they will ever learn about you from the information you submit.

At their best they are invitations to build relationships. At their worst, they make it clear (or make you jump through hoops to figure out) that they really do not want to have anything to do with you.

Ask yourself the following questions when reviewing and/or using a contact page?

• Does the company have the need, desire or ability to actually communicate with its customers? For example, check out the contact pages of Google, Amazon and LinkedIn. These are companies I admire and patronize, but are virtually impossible to communicate with one-on-one.
• Is this company desperate or what?If you submit a web form and receive a call back within five minutes, do not assume it is a sign of great customer service. They probably have nothing else to do. 
• Are the required answers on a form pertinent to your need and only your need?Companies that use web forms properly can make life easier for both parties. But, they do not need to know your life story to do that. 
• Are you given various options for making contact?When you have a relationship with a company, different situations may suggest either phone call, web form, live chat, e-mail, or mailing address. You should not expect every company to have multiple paths of contact, but they should all have at least two, phone and e-mail. 
• Can you find an address and phone number?No business really exists in a cloud. If you are unable to reach a company on the phone or know exactly where they do business, exit the site immediately. 
• Are names, direct contact numbers and e-mail addresses for key contacts published on the contact page? Very few companies do this, but I am certainly impressed by those that do.