Accessibility is essential in every aspect of life, especially in business. If you want to succeed in today’s competitive environment, you need to ensure that your customers can easily access your services and products.
There are many reasons why accessibility is important in business. For example, it helps your company reach out to a wider audience, increase customer satisfaction, and improve productivity.
If you find providing physical accessibility challenging, you can also consider digital accessibility. Click To TweetWhy Is Accessibility Important in Business?
Here are some ways that accessibility can benefit your business.
1. Customer Service
The first reason that accessibility is essential in business is customer service. If your company has a website, you already provide customers with access to information about your products and services. However, if you do not have a website, you may not be able to offer this same level of customer service. Customers who cannot find what they need online can call your company’s phone number and speak directly to someone. This means that you will lose out on potential sales and customers.
2. Marketing
Another reason that accessibility is essential is marketing. If your company does not have a website, you will not be able to advertise your products and services. You will not be able to promote your brand and reach out to potential customers. Your company will not be visible to people searching for your product or service.
Why is accessibility important in business? Here are some ways that accessibility can benefit your business. Click To Tweet3. Sales
Accessibility is also essential in sales. If you do not have a way to sell your products and services online, then you will not be able to get the word out about your company. People will not know how great your products are and may not even realise that you exist. They might think that you are no longer in business.
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Here are the most common website accessibility issues Click To Tweet
Accessibility Standards
Accessibility standards imply that websites, tools, and technologies should be accessible. People with disabilities should be able to use them.
Common Accessibility Problems with Websites
The most common accessibility issues are:
- Low contrast on text.
- Missing alt text on images.
- Missing link text.
- Ambiguous link text.
- Too many navigation links.
- Empty form labels.
- Unclear form controls.
- Time-Outs can’t be controlled.
Best Practices for Website Designers
According to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the following are some best practices for designing for web accessibility.
- Provide sufficient contrast between foreground and background.
- Don’t use colour alone to convey information.
- Ensure that interactive elements are easy to identify.
- Provide clear and consistent navigation options.
- Ensure that form elements include associated labels.
Does your website meet the above accessibility standard? Get your web developer to address these issues as soon as possible.
Accessibility standards imply that websites, tools, and technologies should be accessible. Click To TweetImportance of Accessibility to Customers
October is full of disability-related campaigns. From Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, World Blindness Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, etc. It has got me thinking about what business owners in Nigeria are doing to make their business accessible to persons with disability.
That your fancy office, how accessible is it? How accessible is your website for persons with visual impairment or dyslexia? Do you consider this when developing or updating your site?
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You may shrug off the idea and say it’s not essential. You may claim that the number of your paying customers or users with disability is negligible. So it’s not worth the hassle.
However, you never can tell whether your most loyal customer might be that individual you’re looking down on.
For example, the GSM service introduction in Nigeria back in 2001. What influenced my choice of mobile company to register with was not the network quality and so on.
Instead, I chose a particular network because they had a wheelchair ramp on their premises. The staff were warm and friendly. They made me feel welcome.
I’ve stayed with the same company ever since. When I travelled outside Nigeria for some time and returned, I discovered the mobile company revoked my number and sold it to someone else. I still decided to stay on the same network. Why?
Not because their network is any better than their competitors. Instead, it’s because their office is accessible.
It brings to my mind the Maya Angelou quote that goes something like this:
People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But, people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou Click To TweetIt’s a win-win situation when you make it easy for your customer to access your business and make them feel welcome regardless of whether they suffer from a permanent or temporary disability.
Moreover, the accessibility requirement for making your business accessible for people with disability doesn’t need to cost a fortune. You can consider things like a screen reader for people with visual impairment or other assistive technology. You can even strive to have an accessible design for your office premises so that people with disabilities can patronise your business. If you find providing physical accessibility challenging, you can also consider digital accessibility.
As a business owner, you need to address the accessibility issue sooner or later before it becomes a legal requirement for your business. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Conclusion
In conclusion, accessibility is important because it helps ensure that everyone has equal access to information and services. Schedule a consultation if you need help in developing an accessible website or making your digital content accessible
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