I’ve had my fair share of problems with other companies’ support and contact pages lately. One thing that really annoys me is when they don’t tell you upfront about what’s available to you. In other words, it’s very frustrating to look all over for an email address or phone number, only to later discover that the only way to get support is to fill out a lengthy web form.

It doesn’t have to be this way. To bridge the gap between what customers might have in mind and what you actually offer, just tell them about their options from the start. Right on your contact or support page, say something like this: “To get technical support, fill out the form below. This is the fastest way to get a response, since we don’t provide support by phone, email, or Internet chat.” Sure, this might disappoint some people, but they’ll thank you later for not wasting their time.