Most website owners now realize that, in order for their site to remain popular and successful, it needs to evolve. Exactly how it should evolve, however, isn’t always easy to determine. Should you blog or tweet or implement some other buzzword you’ve heard lately?  Should you do what your competitors have already done?  Although these changes and ideas certainly have merit, by focusing just on these approaches you will  constantly be playing catchup.

Instead, I suggest thinking about your customers first and how you can use the internet and technology to make their lives easier.  Sure, a blog or twitter stream lets your customers hear from you more readily, and this communication has tremendous value.  However, this added communication doesn’t necessarily make you any less dispensable to the customer. Rather, to become truly indispensable, you need to offer them new services and features that they come to depend on.

Examples of companies creating new value for their customers:

I use USAA for my personal checking account. They now allow me to deposit checks online using my scanner for free, with their Deposit@Home service. This technology saves a trip to the bank and is incredibly valuable to me.  Meanwhile, Wachovia, my prior bank, does not offer a comparable service. I value USAA much more than Wachovia now, and have no desire to find a different bank.  Additionally, I now believe that USAA will continue to add functionality to make my life even easier, as they’ve set the precedent. Trusting their dedication to their customers makes me value them and want to stick with them as well.

As mobile computing becomes more widespread, new opportunities to help your customers abound. Companies that have created successful iPhone applications and mobile sites for their customers have received great publicity through word of mouth and commentary, often lowered administrative costs and certainly better established their brand.  FedEx has made it simple to track packages away from your computer. ESPN makes checking scores easier than ever before. In turn, their customers now use these companies’ total basket of services more and are more likely to ship FedEx and go to ESPN.com at home because of these applications.  Read overviews of several other company’s mobile application ideas.  Although a full fledged iPhone application may be overkill for your business, definitely consider how accessible and useful your website is to your customers when they’re away from their desktops.

How to create customer value yourself:

These two examples are just a sliver of the possibilities – there are so many ways to add value for your customers online. Step back and consider all the various interactions your customers have with you. Are you in a business that is appointment driven? Provide updates and reminders about appointments through the internet. Are you constantly mailing invoices and requiring mailed checks?  Consider online billing or automated payments.  Do you provide information that your customers call to inquire about? Push this content to them in more accessible ways.  Any way your customers contact you is an area to explore.

Online possibilities and prospects  are constantly evolving. As you consider all the customer interactions you have, there are inevitably services you can create that will save time and effort. When you give your customers these abilities, they will come to rely on it, and become even more devoted to you. If you do not, your competitor will first, and you will lose your customers. Take time now to talk to online strategists about your firm’s operations and logistics, brainstorm great new ideas, and make your firm truly indispensable.

Paul Reilly is a partner and co-founder of Unitz LLC, a web development and internet strategy firm based in Arlington, VA and Trumbull, CT.