I am not a patient woman. But what I lack in patience, I make up for in persistence. When interacting with Web sites, these traits often result in my getting easily irritated with a process that’s not user-friendly, but I refuse to give up until I accomplish my task. Take this example:

My prescription drug plan recently changed, requiring that everything I set up in the interactive world of one medication provider be re-created according to the rules of a new drug czar, who I'll call DrugMart. Dutifully, I handed over my identity to my new ruler and created an online account. I now had ANOTHER new password to remember and with my brain already jammed with several other bizarre combinations of letters, numbers and pet names, the latest browser statistics, the ins-and-outs of the CAN-SPAM laws, and an impressive knowledge of Simpsons trivia, I just couldn't remember my login information when I went back to use DrugMart's system and place an order.

It's 11 PM. I'm tired. I need my drugs. All I want to do is order online, but I forgot my login info. Luckily, there are two "Forgot Login? Forgot Password?" links to help me out. I complete the form. It won't let me submit my information. Something is wrong, but the error message doesn't tell me what the problem is—only that according to DrugMart's system I don't exist. I've shared enough info with you to steal my identity and now you are telling me I don't exist? I cleared fields and refilled them. I check the caps lock key. I read every one of the little tool tips. I cursed their programmers and the entire prescription drug industry, and each time I was presented with the same generic message.

Determined not to have to deal with the agony of calling customer service the next day, I fought with that form for 30 minutes. And I did eventually figure it out. The instructions said to fill in your group number exactly as it appeared on your card. The problem was a hyphen—included in the number on the card but not accepted by the form. I followed the instructions, but because their example didn't match the reality of a card, it didn't work. And the error message never explained to me why.

A new customer, I instantly turned against DrugMart and was dissatisfied with their service. My experience not only frustrated me, it left a lasting negative impression on me about the company. To me, DrugMart is difficult to do business with because my online experience created that belief.

Your home page can talk about your commitment to customers and how you are easy to do business with, but your entire web site needs to pay off on that claim. From the search tools to the forms, your web site is your business.