More enquiries via the website: why visitors aren’t responding

You’re getting plenty of website traffic, but your inbox remains empty. You won’t get more enquiries via your website just by showing attractive project photos: a visitor also needs to see a logical next step that offers them a benefit.

When it comes to bespoke products, people often want to know first whether a conservatory, window frame or floor is within their budget. If there’s only a contact form there, you’re asking for a lot of trust before you provide any information in return. That’s why many visitors browse, but don’t make an enquiry.

Why doesn’t a standard website generate enquiries?

A website with photos and text tells visitors what you make. That’s useful, but it usually doesn’t answer the first question a prospective customer has: how much does something cost that suits my situation?

A contact form doesn’t solve that. The visitor has to provide their name, telephone number and email address, whilst they don’t yet know whether your product fits their budget at all. For many people, that feels like they’re immediately entering a sales conversation, when all they want to do is compare options and work out the costs.

You see this particularly with products where the price depends on dimensions and options. Think of a patio canopy with a glass roof and side panels, plastic window frames with different windows, or a floor with a chosen laying pattern. A general ‘from’ price is of limited help in such cases, as the specific configuration determines the final cost.

The main barriers usually lie in these three things:

• The visitor doesn’t receive an answer to their price enquiry until they’ve shared their details.
• They do not know what information you need to provide a useful quote.
• They find it difficult to visualise how choices regarding size, material or colour will affect the end result.

Anyone who clicks away at that point isn’t necessarily uninterested. They’re often simply not yet ready to make contact. So the problem isn’t always your offer or your project photos, but the step you’re asking a visitor to take.

How do you convert website visitors into enquiries?

First, give the visitor something they can use straight away. For bespoke products, this is often a configurator on your website: a form where someone can put together their product step by step and see the price update in real time.

This reverses the order of things. Instead of filling in details first and then waiting for a price, the visitor makes choices and gains an understanding of the options first. Only when the visitor sees what’s possible and the corresponding price do they request a quote.

This works because a configurator asks specific questions. Instead of an open field saying ‘tell us what you’re looking for’, the visitor selects, for example, a width, material, colour and additional options. As a result, you don’t receive an enquiry that simply asks ‘how much does a canopy cost?’, but one containing information you can actually use.

A good form keeps things clear and organised. Only ask for choices that genuinely determine the price, and spread these out over short steps. You don’t need to ask for all the details in advance that will only become clear after a site survey or consultation.

If you’d like to explore this principle further, take a look at how a configurator on your website allows visitors to make choices and calculate costs before they get in touch.

How does this work in practice for a veranda enquiry?

Suppose someone is searching for an aluminium veranda one evening. On your site, they see attractive photos, but no price. Via the contact form, the best they can do is write that they want a canopy measuring approximately four by three metres. You then have to ask about the roofing material, colour, side walls, lighting and installation. The customer has to reply again before you can provide a quote.

With a configurator, that same visitor starts by entering the dimensions. They then choose, for example, the profile colour, the roofing material and any side walls or lighting. With every choice, they can see how it affects the price. If visualisation is important, a 3D rendering or an interactive image can help them better understand the chosen design.

At the end, they’ll see an overview of their choices and the corresponding total. They can then fill in their details to request an online quote. The request will be sent to you, complete with the dimensions, options and calculated price.

That doesn’t mean you have to quote a price for special circumstances without full knowledge of the details. A tricky foundation, a sloping wall or an unusual access route aren’t always visible online. You can make it clear that the price is based on the details provided and that any special circumstances will be discussed during the consultation or site survey.

This helps you avoid two extremes: not quoting a price at all, or promising a figure without allowing for reality. You can find more information about striking this balance in ‘Price on request and visitors dropping out’.

Why a complete enquiry is better than multiple separate messages

Generating more enquiries via your website isn’t just about the number of forms you receive. It’s also about what you can do with them afterwards. An enquiry that includes dimensions, materials and options gives you a better starting point than a brief message without context.

You’ll need to exchange fewer emails to gather the basic information. What’s more, the customer has already seen the price. As a result, the conversation no longer begins with the surprise that a particular specification costs more than expected, but with the question of what else is needed to move forward.

In Klantly, a configurator enquiry can enter the pipeline directly as a contact, quotation and card. This means you don’t have to retype the choices. You check what the visitor has put together and decide for yourself what to send next.

Do bear your pricing rules in mind. A configurator is only credible if you use up-to-date prices and appropriate options. So start with a single product and the key price-determining options. Expand later once the form aligns well with the enquiries you receive on a daily basis. By checking a pricing matrix, you can prevent a visitor from ending up with a combination that has no price.

When is a configurator not suitable for your website?

Not every business needs a configurator. If you sell a simple service with a single fixed price, a clear contact form or the option to book an appointment is often sufficient. Similarly, if every job must first be fully assessed on-site and no useful price estimate is possible, a form with numerous options is of little use.

This approach does work well, however, if you currently use a price list, an Excel file or a fixed calculation method. Particularly when the price is largely determined by dimensions, materials and options, you can already provide a visitor with a useful initial estimate online.

A website doesn’t have to be just a digital business card. If you help visitors to make their initial choices and work out the cost first, the step towards making contact becomes smaller and you’ll gather more useful information.

Would you like to find out, with no obligation, what Klantly can do for your business? Get started for free