By now, companies should know why customer service is important. Years ago, it used to be that people were likely to only share their negative experiences with companies online. Today, however, consumers are also just as eager to share positive experiences with them. One of the factors to this is the customer experience they get and their interaction with brands.
Many companies recognize this and not only aspire to provide a quality customer experience, but they also do so in a way that is distinctly theirs. Their branded customer experience is what allows them to stand out in a competitive, often crowded industry that potential customers will remember.
What is the Branded Experience?
To quickly define it, the customer experience refers to the impression your brand leaves on people. Different companies offer different experiences that customers can immediately recognize as unique. Often a branded customer experience is about functionality, with a few strums at emotional chords. The service offered defines any business regardless of industry and customers’ expectations are met.
Because it is something uniquely tied to a company, customers will keep coming back while also expecting the same level of unique, consistent service.
Reasons for A Branded Customer Experience
The customer experience is vital to business growth, especially in 2019. Your customer service teams should consistently provide positive experiences that help build brand loyalty. The old saying goes “the customer is always right” can evolve into saying that “the customer has the power.” The ease in which people can interact with brands online and share their experiences on a global reach.
This can seem like a big change and it certainly is. However, it’s a change that’s for the best in the long run. Through a branded customer experience, you are able to tap into real-time brand awareness from customers which you can ensure remains positive.
There are many reasons companies today look to the branded customer experience. They can be summed up into three key reasons.
Customer Satisfaction
Most will say that the key to good customer experience is knowing their expectations and surpassing them. Brands have to be accurate, and reliable in providing the service they guaranteed. The opportunity lies in the ability to deliver what you promised and surprise your customer with extra care and support.
As stated earlier, people today are more likely to share their positive experiences with a company online than before. According to a study in 2018, 49% of customers say they would share their positive online experiences on their favoured social media platforms. The study also said that customers would be willing to pay more for products and services if it meant getting a better customer experience.
Quality service means providing a great customer experience.
Based on this, good customer experiences have to be consistent across all their needs, and their standards should be exceeded. By amplifying the entire customer journey, it ensures more positive experiences on top of superior services that you may offer.
Loyal Customers
A strong branded customer experience is one that is memorable and often impresses people. It’s why many are seeing it as a valued asset for their business and why they want to have something unique. Ensuring consistent, positive customer service also means developing customer loyalty through how your team responds to them.
It is often said that a business’ customer service team are who make – or even break – a company. As the first point of contact, they impact a company’s reputation through how they respond to questions or concerns. How these issues are resolved will determine what people will say afterwards, positive or negative.
While it would be so great to have nothing but positive feedback, the reality is that negative comments from customers will happen. However, what’s important is how these issues are handled and what the best course of action taken will be. The customer is king and allowing yourself to build trust with them sends positive messages that they are vital to your business and creates loyalty.
Standing Out in the Industry
Being different and unique is always going to be one of the biggest challenges for any business. Being able to differentiate yourself from others who are producing great content is getting harder within the online landscape. Not only do people compare products, services and pricing, but they also consider the user experience and the ease of communicating with them.
Customer feedback, therefore, has become an invaluable source for success that make companies more competitive. Providing a strong and memorable customer experience is one of the ways businesses can stand out.
Providing the Best Customer Experience
Earlier we talked about a study that showed how people were likely to share more positive brand experiences online. In the same study, 70% of customers also said they still prefer to talk to an actual person for their concerns instead of dealing with automated chatbots. This is why quality customer service teams are still important. While automation is meant to co-exist with people to help with efficiency and productivity, it should not replace teams outright. Customers still look for that authentic experience of interacting with another person on the line. When companies provide this, they should also consider making the interaction something that is significantly theirs through the customer experience.
