How to explain the way to the location in digital channels

6 steps to creating the perfect customer experience when your business isn t in the perfect location

Getting to the location is an important part of the customer experience. When visitors do not waste time and nerves searching for a location, they are more likely to use the services again, they will be less likely to be late, and they will spend more time inside – exploring products or interacting with the seller. You can create the perfect experience even if the location itself has problems:

• The point is located in an impassable place or the entrance is from the yard.
• You are in the same building with other organizations and you do not have a separate entrance from the street.
• You cannot place a navigation or sign on a facade.
• Often you have to explain the way to visitors by phone.
• Visitors sometimes end up in neighboring organizations.
• You have received a review or complaint at least once that you are difficult to find.

To do this, we at Markswebb have come up with a framework that will help create a clear description of the path to any location in digital channels. To do this, it has everything you need: specific tips, a description of CJM and examples of placement in digital platforms. We share the framework for free with everyone who has come across this task or else will: read the basic rules and go to the framework page for full recommendations.

Rule 1. Check where the navigator is leading

Having cards in Google Maps and Yandex.Maps is a hygienic minimum. But the actual address of the location is not always correctly recognized due to the incorrect spelling of the address or its absence in the map service itself. Also, sometimes map services build an incorrect route to the actual address: they send the visitor along a path where there is actually no way to go, or they lead to the other side of the building.

Choose an address for your location where maps will best build a route, even if this address does not coincide with your actual one. When posting, do not forget to mention that this is the address for the navigator, and tell me how to move on to the correct building or entrance.

Navigator leads correctly…
To lead the visitor to the correct barrier, you need to write as follows: the stadium is located at Vernadsky Avenue, 78с5; address for the navigator: st. Koshtoyantsa, 47k3.

Rule 2. Think different ways

It is important to describe the road to the location, taking into account the 4 main stages of the journey:

1. Planning a trip: provide the address and working hours, whether there is an access control, for public transport – landmarks of stops, for a car – the addresses of the nearest parking lots.
2. Road to Site: List 2-3 routes that most visitors or employees take.
3. Path to the building or site and entrance: consistently describe the path from the metro, parking, public transport stop or taxi.
4. Movement inside a building or territory to the point of destination: how to get through security, find an elevator, which stairs to climb and do not miss the desired door.

For those who arrive by public transport, it is necessary to give a clear understanding of which mode of transport to choose, where to get off and how to get from the stop. It will be important for visitors by car to know where convenient parking is located, how much it costs, what are the restrictions on entering the territory, and so on. Separately, you should think about those who arrive by taxi – to advise the drop-off point closest to the desired checkpoint.

If it is difficult to get from a metro or train station by ground transport, show clearly the route algorithm along key points and include it in the photo route. Indicate all key stations, route numbers, number of stops. There is no need to try to replace Yandex.Maps: just help the visitor not to get confused at the time of transfer.

Scheme with an algorithm.

This is more convenient and neat than trying to place all routes on one map.

Rule 3. Conduct a test “for a student” for the text

Remove complex concepts and terms from the text (“perpendicular street”, “hydraulic lifts”, “fence from a cascading mesh-chain-link”) and mention of time (“there will be a door in 2 minutes of the way”). Replace all of this with clear definitions and landmarks: advertising structures, monuments and notable public buildings, bright decorations and structures, such as a purple fence or red gate.

It is important to divide the description into understandable segments so that the visitor clearly understands the sequence of movement, each time he is looking for the desired landmark and can go back a segment if something suddenly goes wrong.

Rule 4. Draw a diagram with key landmarks

A graphical route diagram is needed to form an idea of ​​how the route will be built: how long the road will take, what kind of transport to get and what key points of the route need to be overcome. The diagram should show the way to your location from the nearest metro or public transport stops, from where visitors will be walk, or from major landmarks if visitors will be driving.

If possible, set a task for the designer: ask them to remove unnecessary details and leave only the necessary guidelines. If there is no designer, draw up a diagram in the Yandex.Maps designer. Do not try to fit on the map a very long route, when there are many difficult transfers, turns and actions.

Yandex maps

You can quickly create a diagram in the Yandex.Maps constructor. The route will be displayed with all the details of the navigator.

Designer work.
In the route scheme that the designer drew for us, we left only useful information.

Rule 5. For the last mile, use a photo

Photos are needed to help navigate the terrain: to find the right entrance or not to miss a tricky turn. Illustrate each leg of the path from the description provided in step # 2:

• Start on the road to the place, if there is a chance, make a mistake by stopping ground transport from a metro or train station.
• If there are no difficulties with transport, start photographing from the walking path to the building or territory: from the parking lot, exit from the subway, public transport stop or taxi.

If there are several paths, take several series of photos. Make sure that each photo corresponds to a specific section of the path and captures all the necessary landmarks. Add clues and arrows to your images to help you better understand your surroundings.

An example of a bad photo:
there are no directions, the entrance is not visible, there is no highlight of the main one.

Useful photo:

This is a good photographic job, an arrow and a callout with text help you know where to go.

Rule 6. Consider the specifics of digital channels when publishing a description

Everything you write and draw should be available wherever you actively interact with the audience and promote your business: our rules are universal. To show clearly how to do this, we have selected 6 digital channels:

• cards in Google Maps and Yandex.Maps;
• 3 social networks: Instagram, Vkontakte and Facebook;
• site of the organization.

In Google and Yandex cards, try to explain how to find the correct entrance and navigate inside a building or territory: the service will build a route to the address itself. In Yandex.Directory, you can specify not only the address, but also the required entrance to the building – for this, on the map on the organization management page, you need to click “Edit entrances” and mark the correct place. You can also specify the floor and office number. Google doesn t have this option, so be sure to upload a photo of the entrance to the “Facade” subsection and write important details in the “About” section.

On Instagram, you cannot copy text from a post, and only one clickable link can be placed in the profile header. We recommend that you tell about geolocation in the format of stories with photos and texts, and fix them in the “Relevant” section under a clear name, for example, “How to get there.” See how you can do this using the example of the account we created for the Vardex vape shop.

For Vkontakte and Facebook, we recommend notes: they need to be fixed in the menu or in the feed so that the route description is always in sight and easy to find. Place a graphical route map or a location icon as a cover: this way, even with a cursory glance at the page content, it will be clear where to look for a description of the route. Check out an example on our Facebook page.

The possibilities for placing content on your site are practically unlimited. At a minimum, create a separate page with a clear name “How to get there”, place a description and photos on it, and fix the link in a prominent place in the navigation. If you have resources for development, make cards: we have implemented this solution on our website.

So, these are all the basic rules, following which you can already make a minimum functional description of the road to your location. Test yourself, show the rules to colleagues, and bookmark the full framework, which is publicly available for all UX designers on Markswebb.

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