WooCommerce Initial Call Guide
Greeting
Hi, is [customer name] available?
Hi, [customer name], this is [your name] from GoDaddy Website Design Services! How are you today? [PAUSE for response]
I’m calling you for your website consultation.
Our call today should take us about an hour.
And you’re near a computer, right? You’ll need it in a few minutes.
By the way, before we get into things, I want to let you know that this call will be recorded and retained for quality and training purposes.
Ok, in order for me to open up your account, I’ll just need your PIN. [PAUSE for response]
Great! First, I want to thank you for working with us! I’ll be your main point of contact throughout the process.
[PAUSE for response]
[If there are multiple customers involved or if they ask about adding additional users]
I understand we have multiple people collaborating on the design of this website, is that correct? [PAUSE for response]
[If YES] To make sure things don't get held up in the process, I need one point of contact to avoid confusion. Who is that right person who will keep us on track? [PAUSE for response of the customer's name]
[Reconfirm contact details of main point of contact] Ok, to ensure we are all on the same page, [customer name], will be the main point of contact on all future communication and design decisions about the website.
[Verify main point of contact's information] [Customer name], I want to make sure I have your correct phone number and email address, is your phone number [say phone number] and your email address is [say email address]. Does this all sound right?
Great!
[If NO] Customer is still asking to add more than one point of contact
I understand that you want more than one main point of contact. What we’ve seen work for other teams is they collaborate offline, and they have a team leader who is also the main point of contact to us.
It’s a much easier and smoother process when we work with one person because it prevents delays and confusion with your project. Does that make sense? [PAUSE for response]
So, who will be the main point of contact going forward? [PAUSE for response of the customer's name]
[Reconfirm contact details of main point of contact] Ok, to ensure we are all on the same page, [customer name], will be the main point of contact on all future communication and design decisions about the website.
[Verify main point of contact's information] [Customer name], I want to make sure I have your correct phone number and email address, is your phone number [say phone number] and your email address is [say email address]. Does this all sound right?
Great!
Today, our call has 3 basic sections. First, we’ll talk about your business, then your design options, and then your content. Sound good?
[PAUSE for response]
[If the customer has completed setting up business profile and uploaded assets:]
I see that you have completed your business profile and uploaded a few files to the Media Library – we’ll talk about how you want to use these items on your website.
[If a customer completed profile but didn’t upload assets:]
I see that you have completed your business profile and we’ll talk about how you want to use this information on your website.
Just to give you an idea of the timeframe we want to work with, let me tell you a bit about our process, ok?
Our goal is to have a website designed for you within two to three weeks from today. Our designers will take all the info you and I are going to discuss today about your business (venture, organization, mission, etc.) and your needs, and they’ll use their expertise in visual design trends and WordPress tools to create a site that looks great and works for you.
“After that initial design, if you have edits, you and I will discuss it together on our next call. During that call we can help set up your payment processor. We’ll need this information later on, but who do you use for your payment processing? [PAUSE for response]
*If no one, jump right to GoDaddy Payments Offering.
- I’d love to tell you about GoDaddy Payments. This is an easy option to accept all major credit and debit cards online or in person. We/I can help you get set up in minutes and there’s no charge to get started.
- With GoDaddy Payments, you save with competitive rates on your transactions.
- Reduce the need to reach out to other companies when it comes to questions around your payments.
If one of the main (Paypal, Stripe, Square, Direct Bank Transfer) then “Okay, good to know, roughly how many transactions do you do per day? Do you know the dollar amount of those transactions? For Example, if your average transaction is $20 and you do 20 transactions/day you could save anywhere between $500 and $1200/year. (Can use Cheat Sheet to use savings calculator).
- With GoDaddy Payments, you save with competitive rates on your transactions.
- Reduce the need to reach out to other companies when it comes to questions around your payments.
GoDaddy Payments is an excellent option to use for your payment portal because it's an easy application process, and you'll have all your items here with us. I'll send you an email with some more information and an application. If you get signed up before our next meeting we can ensure it gets connected to your site. [Remember to update the GD Payments tab on the Jira ticket]
We’ll also help you set up shipping (USPS or UPS) and tax information ready by that time. I will be sending all this information & instructions for you in an email after our call today.
Then, we’ll have our website designers make those edits while we prepare to publish, which we’ll do on the next call after that. This should take us less than two weeks.”
After we make your site live, you and I will wrap up our work together. During our publish call, if we need to finalize putting in your merchant account information, we’ll use Zoom (screen share) to do that, and then, we can publish your site live. At that point, if you have any additional small edits we will submit a ticket together & a team of specialists will follow up with you if anything else is needed. Or you can give them a call and someone on that team will help you out.
And then Marketing Services is there to help you maintain and continually improve your site's performance.
Our goal is to do all of that in about six weeks’s time. We do have some cushion built in there in case you have additional edits, but we want to make sure you’re able to move pretty quickly and that we don’t hold you up. Do you have any questions I can answer about any of that? [PAUSE for response]
If you’d like to move forward with publishing your site without reviewing it, we can plan for that too at the end of our call. Any questions about any of that? [PAUSE for response]
The Basics
[If YES]
[customer name], I found a website for you at [domain] — do you want us to use that site as a reference for your new website? Or are we starting from scratch? [PAUSE for response]
[If NO]
[customer name], do you have an existing website? [PAUSE for response]
[If yes, ask for the URL and look it up]
Great! Do you want us to use this site as a reference for your new website? Or are we starting from scratch?
[If yes, the domain is in their GoDaddy account, no further action is required]
[If no, the domain isn't in their GoDaddy account]
Do you want to transfer your domain to us? [PAUSE for response]
[If YES]
Great! Once we complete today's consult call, I'll connect you to the team that will take care of the domain transfer for you.
[If NO or unsure about it]
Transferring your domain name to your GoDaddy account helps us down the road when it comes time to publish your website. We can do this easily when the domain is already in your account. [PAUSE for response]
[If customer is still unsure about the domain transfer]
It's important for us to have the domain in your GoDaddy account because if we run into any issues or changes along the way, we can easily assist you. Plus, we want to help you move through the publishing process smoothly. [PAUSE for response]
[If the customer asks how long does the domain transfer process take]
The domain transfer authorization process takes only a few minutes of your time. However, the remaining steps of the transfer take about 7-10 business to complete. You should see your domain in your GoDaddy account around that time.
And just to confirm, the business name is [business name] and your domain is [domain name]. Is that correct?
Why don’t you tell me a little bit about your business?
What type of products are you selling?
And can you tell me a little bit about the functionality you’re looking for from your store? For example, do you want to offer [tailor to customer needs] discounts on bulk orders or to certain users when they log in? [PAUSE for response]
Do you have a website you’d like to use as design inspiration -- it could be your existing site or maybe one for a similar business to yours?
[If YES]
Great, if you want to give me that URL we can look through that site together and talk about what elements you’d like to use for your new site.
[If NO]
Ok, no problem -- would you like to look through our gallery together and see if we can find some sites you like the look of?
[If you need to coach the customer to move on:]
I want to make sure we get plenty of time for the rest of our call today, so let’s just go through some questions that can help give our designers some insight into your preferences, ok?
Plan Breakdown
Ok, great. Based on what you’ve just told me, the WooCommerce web store is gonna be a great fit for you, so let’s talk about what your website design includes.
WooCommerce web store: We’ll set up 7 pages and add the first 70 images, and we’ll get you started on your products by adding [25 simple products / 15 products with variations].
Use customer-tailored language based on above to describe either 25 simple or 15 with variations. Could be:
...adding up to 15 of your products and all of their sizes and colors
…adding up to 25 of your products (if all are simple)
That doesn’t limit your site, that is just for the initial build, and you can update it any time. [PAUSE for response]
You have two options there. One option is where you can do it yourself, using our free resources that show you how to make updates to your site. If you want to take the do-it-yourself route, we’ll send you all those resources once we’re ready to publish your site.
The other option, which you may have heard about, is our Marketing Services plan, where we make updates for you. It’s a subscription service where you basically have us on retainer, and we make updates whenever you need them. The most cost-effective plan is the 2-year subscription where you do pay more up front, but then you’re covered for any updates you’d need for 2 years. We also have options for a 1-year plan, and some shorter term options if you just want to make a handful of updates at once.
[Confirm customer’s interest before moving on:]
Does our do-it-for-you option sound like something you’d be interested in? [PAUSE for response]
[If YES]
Great! I can tell you exactly what each option would cost and we can talk a little more about how it works.
[If NO]
Ok, no problem. If you ever want to add that, just let me know, and I’ll remind you about it when we’re publishing your website.
After this call, I’ll send a recap email about the plan type and expectations we talked about today, so you can refer back to it. Does that sound good? [PAUSE for response]
[Continue to the rest of the call:]
Design Consultation
[If the customer answered all 3 questions on business profile]
Let’s talk about the answers you sent in your profile.
[Walk-through profile and verify what they answered is correct]
[If something is unanswered from profile]
I see that we’re missing [name of missing item or items] and that’s ok. Let’s fill this in now.
[If they didn’t fill out the profile]
First, let’s start with trying to answer the questions in the profile. [PAUSE for response]
[If they’re struggling]
If you could come up with a mission or a vision for your business, what would that be? [PAUSE for response]
[If they’re still struggling]
It’s helpful for our content writers and designers to know a bit about your business’s goals or why you do what you do. For example, GoDaddy’s mission is to help everyday entrepreneurs achieve their goals.
I got a lot of great information about your business already, but let me just make sure we have everything we need for our designers, ok?
[If the customer indicates that this type of info could be obtained from any documents they’ve already uploaded, open the document now and scan through for answers.]
Does your business have a tagline or slogan you’d like to see incorporated? [PAUSE for response]
I want to make sure our website designers have a good understanding of what your business does, so we’re going to provide them with a brief description. I know that you’re a [business] that provides [service/product]. Tell me a little bit about what else you offer and what makes you unique.
Ok, and how long have you been in business?
[If they are a new business]
How many years of experience do you have in your field?
[If they don’t have an exact date]
It’s ok if you don’t know exactly. We can just provide a general time frame for our designers.
[PAUSE for response]
Tell me a little bit about your customers and who you want to attract more of.
Is there a specific area that you service?
And if you could choose one thing you’d want customers to know about your business, what would that be?
And what’s the main goal of your website?
- Is it to get new leads for your business?
- Is it important for you to showcase your work?
- Are you providing information or education?
- Is your main goal to sell your products and/or services?
[If YES]
Ok and I’ve already gathered some of the information that’ll go on your site, like hours and contact info, but I’d like to go through it so we can verify that it’s all correct, ok? [PAUSE for response]
[If NO]
I want to make sure we have your business and contact information the way you’d like for it to appear on your site, so we’re going to go through that together, ok? [PAUSE for response]
[If customer’s existing site isn’t hosted by us, offer free email linked to domain]
By the way, if you want to create an email address that’s linked to your domain to display on the site, which I recommend, we can get that set up for you after the call today. Maybe something like info@[domain].com.
You can tell the customer that you’ll transfer them to our support team that does this after the call.
[If YES]
For the sake of time, we can pull those products from your existing store, if they're up to date there. [PAUSE for response]
[If NO]
Ok, so for the sake of time, we're not going to walk through every one of your products (as much as I would love to!), so what I’m going to do is send you a sheet where you can add all of those product details, which you can upload to your Media Library, and we’ll make sure they’re added to your store.
Ok, thanks for all that info. That does it for our basic information here. Is there anything else you’d like for our website designers to know about your business when they’re putting your site together? [PAUSE for response]
Design Consultation: Logo
Ok, great! So now we’re going to talk about your design options!
[If YES]
I know you purchased a logo with your website. First, we’re going to talk about what you want it to look like.
How do you want your business name to appear in your logo? [PAUSE for response/discussion]
Do you have specific colors you want to use? [If yes, get the HEX codes for all colors] [PAUSE for response/discussion]
Do you have specific font requests, or would you like for us to choose for you? [PAUSE for response/discussion]
Do you have any ideas around the shape of your logo, or could we choose for you? [PAUSE for response/discussion]
[IF CUSTOMER COULD BENEFIT FROM SEEING EXAMPLES] How about I show you some examples of logos we’ve created in the past, and that way you can get an idea — we’ll share screens in a few, so we can do that then! [Reference ourlogostudio.com]
Based on what we discussed today, we’ll create three logo options and email them to you -- those will be ready on [5 business days from now]. Once you get that email, reply and let us know which one you like the most! We’ll use that one for your website, but you’ll have a chance to give feedback on it on our next call, too. Now, let’s talk about your website!
[If NO]
Do you have a logo that you’d like to use? [PAUSE for response]
[If YES]
Awesome! Do you have it handy now?
[If YES]
And do you want to match the website’s color scheme to the logo?
[Instruct customer on how to upload the logo to the Photo Library. If they need the link, tell them it’s in their Welcome email. You may use the Help article for bulleted steps for accessing and uploading, if the customer needs additional help.]
[If NO]
No? Ok, we can use your name and a font that fits your brand and lay it over a simple background to use for your site.
Do you have any sites that you like the look of that you’d like to use as inspiration?
[If YES]
I can also include this link for our designers.
Now let’s talk about the overall look you’re going for with your site. The tone we choose here will serve as a basis for some of the other design choices we’ll make today.
You’re a [business type], so I would recommend a [tone recommendation] tone.
Ex: You’re a cafe, so I’d recommend a casual feel.
[PAUSE for response/discussion]
Ok, great, we’ll talk a bit more about that in a few minutes.
Design Consultation: Colors
[If customer has chosen or provided an inspiration site whose color scheme they like:]
Our next choice is for your color scheme -- our inspiration site here has a [dark/light] theme -- would you like to go with that for your site as well?
[PAUSE for response]
[If no clear color preference has been provided so far:]
For your website’s overall color scheme, your designer will make choices based on your [inspiration site, logo, preferences]. All I need you to do is choose if you’d like to go with a dark theme, a light theme, or let our designer choose.
Ok, great so we’ll go with [light/ dark/ whatever our designer thinks is best]. In terms of the actual colors, we can choose colors that complement your logo, unless you have a specific color you’d like to see incorporated?
[If YES]
Great, do you have a hex code for that or should we find one online?
[If the customer provided a specific color choice, ask if they’d like to provide direction for how to use the colors, and enter that into the box below:]
Ok, it sounds like you’ve got a pretty good idea of what colors you’d like to go with -- would you like for me to provide any specific instructions for your website designer on how to use your colors? For example, is there one you’d like to use as the primary color?
Design Consultation: Fonts
Our final branding choice to make is the font. Unless you have a specific font you’d like to use, we’ll leave this up to our website designers.
Was there anything you had in mind, or should we base that decision on the rest of the design elements we’ve talked about?
[If customer has a specific font request:]
Ok, great. I’ll note that here for our designers. We use Google fonts, so they should be able to find one that matches closely.
[If customer doesn’t have a font request:]
Ok, great. Our website designers will find a font that perfectly fits with the overall feel of your website. Our main factor in choosing a font is that it’s modern, simple, and easy to read.
Design Consultation: Site Elements
Ok, next we just need to iron out a few details about your site elements. This is basically the frame that all of your website content goes in.
We’ll let our designers make most of those decisions based on the content you provide. We want to design a website that you’re proud of but most importantly, we want it to be a high performing one, too. [PAUSE for response]
About Homepage
First up, let’s talk about your website’s homepage. It’s the first impression that your visitors will have of your website, and it’s also where they’ll find most of the information about you. We recommend keeping this page simple and clean to navigate. [PAUSE for response]
So, let’s tackle which elements you’d like to put on your homepage. We’ll include your logo/business name and your navigation by default.
The builder will design your header’s layout to best suit the shape of your logo, the number of pages in your menu and the header elements you’ve selected, while keeping your business goals and website design performance in mind. Any questions so far? [PAUSE for response]
[Recommend one or more of the following options based on your understanding of the customer’s needs]
I’d recommend adding [your phone number/ your social media links/ a call to action button encouraging your customers to ____/ a search bar so your customers can quickly find the product they’re looking for].
How does that sound? [PAUSE for response]
Hero Image
Great, next is our hero image. This will be the main image on your homepage for desktop and mobile devices, so we’ll want to make sure we choose something that represents you well. Do you have an image in mind? Or would you like for us to choose an image from our stock photo library for you?
[If a customer has a photo, they’d like us to use, ask them to send it over or uploaded to the Photo Library]
[If a customer would like to use a video or asks about using a video on the homepage]
A video on a homepage can negatively affect your website’s performance, so we strongly advise against it, especially, when people are on their phones trying to load your website -- video is harder to load on the homepage, and speed is crucial for mobile.
That said, we can add a video to interior pages! I recommend placing [name of video] on [name of webpage] -- what do you think? [PAUSE for response]
[If yes to adding video to interior page: Ask the customer to send in link to video, so it can be added, or they can upload to Photo Library]
Excellent! We’ll place [name of video content] on the [name of webpage].
Must do step: Capture the name of the webpage the customer wants to place video.
[Ask any specific design questions: Does it need additional copy? Is the video coming from a video streaming platform like YouTube or Vimeo, etc.?]
Now, for the hero image, on the homepage, do you have an image in mind or would you like for us to choose something for you? [PAUSE for response]
[If no to interior page option for video: customer still wants to use video on homepage; recommend video on desktop version and image for mobile version]
Alright, we’ll add the video to the homepage on the desktop (computer) view of your website, and for the mobile (phone) version, your visitors will see an image in the Hero section. This way, your mobile visitors can quickly load your website on their phone. Sound good? [PAUSE for response]
Must do step: if customer chooses to use video for desktop and still image on mobile. Please include this in builder note.
[If yes to use video for desktop and still image for mobile]
Great! I’ll make a note to our builder, so they know you’d like your video to be used for the desktop design, and we’ll use an image for your mobile design.
Speaking of, do you have image you would like to use for the hero image for mobile or would you like for us to choose something for you? [PAUSE for response]
[If no: customer is persistent about using video on mobile and desktop version, despite the website performance impact]
I understand that your video is important to your homepage. We definitely want to incorporate your video the way you want it.
I’ll make a note to our builder that you still want to include [name of video] on the homepage, for both the mobile and desktop versions, and that you understand how this will impact your website’s performance, and you understand it will take your site longer to load on mobile. Sound good? [PAUSE for response]
Must do step: if customer chooses not to take our recommendation about video placement on homepage of website -- do not force it. Include customer’s request in builder note.
[Add note to builder that customer is requesting video on homepage, even after knowing this can impact their website performance]
Ok, so moving down the page, the final choice we need to make is what goes into the footer. Typically what we do here is repeat some of the contact info from the header, and add a few more informational elements. These can be links to other pages, your hours, any icons you’d like to use, like logos of products you work with, or awards you’ve won, or associations you belong to -- things like that.
[Make a recommendation based on the customer’s needs. For example:]
I know that you mentioned wanting to make sure your customers know where to find you -- we can actually add a map in the footer to make it easier for them.
How does that sound? [PAUSE for response]
{Store style}
Finally, we’ve got the way we design your store. All we need to know here is what kinds of products you’re selling, and from there, our website designers can determine the best way to organize your store.
So, based on our conversation, I’m going to select [insert the product description that makes the most sense here]. Does that sound right?
[If customer says no, ask them to describe what kinds of products they’re selling, and enter that info into the Other box.]
Is there anything else you’d like for me to note for our website designers here? For instance, if you wanted to display your products like another online store, we could give them that link as inspiration.
Ok, great! That does it for our design consultation, then. In our next section, I’ll make sure we’ve got the content for your site, and then we’ll wrap up, okay? [PAUSE for response]
Gathering Content
Ok, we're making good progress, [customer name]. I’ve got lots of good info about your business, and we’ve nailed down all of our design choices.
The only remaining piece is gathering your content for your site. Before we discuss the verbiage, let’s narrow down the pages we are going to be building.
[PAUSE for discussion and listing out the pages]
Like I mentioned, we’ll build out 7 pages, which usually include Home, About, and a Contact page, but we’ll also need a Terms of Service page, which leaves us 3 pages to decide on.
Unless customer has an existing site with existing TOS they want to use, let’s just do this for them.
Ok, great, now let's talk about the content on those pages. Pick the “if” scenario below that best fits.
[If customer doesn't have an existing site or copy to reference or send in]
It sounds like you're in need of some copy. Let’s go through some quick questions that’ll help your writers create copy that’s tailored to your business.
[If customer already has a website with existing content]
Do you want to use the copy that’s on your current site? I can have our copywriters polish it, and we’ll also go through a few additional questions to make sure we have everything we need to fill out your pages with tailored copy.
[If customer has drafted an email to send existing assets]
Do you want to go ahead and send that email now so I can take a look at the copy? Keep in mind that we'll edit that for you, too. We’ll also go through a few additional questions to make sure we have everything we need to fill out your pages with tailored copy.
[If customer indicates that they will send in content now]
Awesome, and if you have any other files that you would like included, go ahead and email those over to me now. And we’ll go through those copywriting questions after I take a look in case there’s anything missing.
Additional Website Functionality
[If a customer needs help with website functionality or wants to talk through what they’re looking for their website to do]
I’m here to help you figure out what you need. What’s something you want your visitors to be able to do on your website? [PAUSE for response]
[You’ll have a better idea of what their website might be missing or could help them meet their online business goals based on the information they gave us in the initial consult or profile]
I’d recommend adding [a calendar so your visitors can book appointments or see events, etc.]
How does that sound? [PAUSE for response]
[If yes to website functionality recommendations]
Ok, great! I’ll make a note to our builder team that you’re looking to add these functionalities [list of web functions back to customer] to your website. They’ll choose the best options that are the most compatible for your website design and performance.
Must do step: capture customer’s website functionality requests in the plugin worksheet. The builder team will choose the plugins that are the most compatible for the customer’s website design project.
[If customer decides to wait to add functionalities until first website preview/during review call]
It’s okay if you don’t know right now what you want to add until you see the first preview of your website. We can talk about this in our review call. Does that work for you? [PAUSE for response]
[If a customer has a particular website functionality in mind, “I want a calendar that shows events,” “I need a way to book appointments,” I want a chatbot, etc.” We want to capture those functionality requests in this initial consult call.]
I’ve got what you’re looking for functionality-wise, and your website builder will recommend the best plugin options to fit that need, while aiming for it to be compatible to your overall website’s design, and performance.
We go over this together in our review call. Sound good? [PAUSE for response]
Must do step: capture customer’s website functionality requests in plugin worksheet. The builder team will choose the plugins that are the most compatible for the customer’s website design project.
Next Steps + Wrap Up
[If customer has copy/assets, but needs to find them and send them in]
What we can do is go through some questions now that’ll help our content writers get started on your website content today, and as soon as you’re able to send us your copy, we’ll use that to polish it up. How does that sound?
[If customer insists on holding off until they can send in their copy:]
If you’re not able to get them to me before [today + 1 week], I’ll send what we’ve collected today to your website designer, and they’ll use their expertise to create your site. We can then spend our next call fine tuning it, like I mentioned earlier.
So — let’s schedule our follow-up call. We’re looking at [site delivery date + 1 day] to [site delivery date + 3 days], since it takes our team 8 business days to get your website ready for you to review. Let’s see what options we have here.
Great, and we’ll email your website to you to review before that call. If you’re ready to make it live, reply to that email, and we can publish your site and send you an email with the next steps. Or, would you like to make it live without reviewing it? [PAUSE for response]
[If customer wants to review:] If you have edits to make, or you want to discuss why our designers made certain choices, you can email those to me ahead of time, and we can walk through them together on the call. Sound good?
Ok, we’re almost finished! I’ll be sending you a recap email with all of this info in it, but here’s what we accomplished today:
- We gathered business information and content for your website.
- We decided on all of your design details.
- We established our time frame and that we’ll get to work on your website on [date of send].
- And we scheduled our review call for [date of review call].
- Start setting up your merchant account now, so we can add this information by [date of review call]*. Once you collect this information please hold this until our next call, don't send this via email.
- *If customer is interested in GoDaddy Payments remind the customer to fill out the application so they can be approved by our next call.
If customer wants to create a new email linked to their domain, let them know you’ll transfer them to that team now and that it should only take a few minutes to get that set up.
Any other questions for me before we wrap up? [PAUSE for response]
Thank you so much for your time today, [customer name]! If you need anything from me, please don’t hesitate to reach out — everything you need will be in my email recap, so look out for that!