The following article offers you key insights into the process of improving and growing your brand’s value through contact center analysis.
You’ll learn the steps to moving away from the platitude of ‘Great Customer Service’ to empowering your customers to become raving fans; willingly spreading the word about your company to their own sphere of influence, whether that’s through social networks or by word-of-mouth endorsements.
BRANDING 101
The majority of businesses spend vast human and capital resources in an effort to establish their brand in the minds of consumers instead of investing in an improved customer experience. A brand is a promise your company makes to a prospective customer and the impression that individual is left with regarding how well you fulfilled upon that promise.
People understand that your brand stands for something, whether that be superior value, exceptional quality standards or a highly reliable product. Buyers are always willing to spend more for products that carry a trusted brand name than generic or unknown brands. And they’re willing to pay that higher price in exchange for the confidence they have in a given brand.
HOW CONTACT CENTERS REINFORCE YOUR BRAND
For those business that sell consumer goods through third party retailers, there’s a good chance buyers of those products will never actually meet an employee of their favorite brands. However, the chances are far more likely that buyers will contact that company at some point for reasons that include:
- Making a complaint about the product
- Asking a question before or after the point of sale
- Wanting instructions about how to use the merchandise
- Requesting payment options or enquiring about job openings
At every “touch point” in which the consumer comes into contact with the company, that business’ brand will be either diminished or reinforced depending on the customers’ experience of the interaction. For that reason, contact center agent training and staff proficiency should be of highest priority for future spending as it relates to your organization’s quality control and customer retention.
CUSTOMER CENTRICITY FOR SERVICE-BASED BUSINESS
The significance of a positive customer experience as described above is particularly true for companies within the service industry including banks, health care and insurance providers as well as the hospitality sector.
Because it can be difficult for consumers to distinguish one hotel room from another based on tangibles alone, the relative importance of service quality becomes that much greater as a competitive advantage in the market. If the customer has an average or unsatisfactory experience at the point of service delivery, they may eventually lose faith in and loyalty to that brand.
YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR SALES FORCE
It’s important to clarify that when it comes to achieving true customer centricity, you must avoid the mis-perception that giving “satisfactory service” is adequate. Studies indicate that 8 of 10 customers will stop doing business with a company despite the fact they were satisfied at the point when they withdrew their business or switched to a competitor.
The key point is that your customers all come with an expectation of being satisfied. However, they rarely expect to have an experience that delights them. As a result, when they do interact with your product or service in a way that truly surpasses what they anticipated, people generally tell their friends and family and voluntarily send referral business your way.
PROACTIVE BRANDING ESSENTIALS
While free, viral marketing remains an unequaled way to grow the value of your business brand, an upset or disgruntled customer can equally weaken your brand through the power of email, blog sites and social media. Because consumers have the power to communicate to large audiences as never before, it’s increasingly important that your organization focuses on creating and maintaining an exceptional quality of care for customers.
For those businesses who fail to implement customer-centered business practices, they find themselves increasingly subject to being negatively portrayed online with little recourse after the fact. However, the vast network of information outlets that exist across the web can also work to your company’s advantage when proactive policies are put in place. So, if thousands of potential customers can hear about your business through the power of viral sharing, why not do everything in your power to be certain that the “word on the street” adds to the long-term value of your brand and your business as well?
Author Credit: Dick Bucci of The Pelorus Group