How customer service affects brand image

How do you want your company to be seen? How is your company current presented? If these two ideas are clashing, you have a problem when it comes to brand image. Brand image is hugely important to your firm’s success, as it forms your potential customers’ initial impressions.

Your staff can bolster the customer experience by attending useful training courses, and by being equipped with well-fitted uniforms from proper corporate uniform suppliers; after all, your staff are the representatives of your company.

To help you elevate your brand image, we have created this article which explores the various way you can refine your brand image.

The customer view

According to research, UK shoppers put more value in good customer service than in the product they are purchasing, with 76% agreeing that customer service is the most important element. Although you should also be prioritising the quality of your products (to reduce returns and negative reviews), you should be constantly reviewing your current customer service methods and continually think of ways that you can improve the overall service.

It’s vital that companies don’t become lax in their assurance of their customer service though. According to one study, 80% of businesses already believe that they deliver a superior service to their consumers – but only 8% of shoppers actually agree with this statement.

Good customer service, especially as a first impression, is critical in gaining customer loyalty – 48% of customers agreed they were more likely to become brand loyal after an initial purchase if they received positive customer service. Not only that, but if you’re looking to increase your consumer acquisition rates – this is a good avenue to go down. 84% of people make a purchase because of a referral; so if your first impression is worthwhile, it could lead to additional business.

Let’s look now at how your customer service can stand head and shoulders above your competitors’.

Polishing your customer service

Your business is reflected heavily by the presentation of your staff, both behavioural and physical – uniforms are a great way to perfect the latter. You need to ensure that your employees are identifiable to customers and this can only be achieved by designing a uniform that stands out; while catering to each type of individual that works for you (considering religions etc).

A uniform means you can avoid costly monitoring needs associated with maintaining a more generic dress code. As well as this, uniforms represent your business – so you must design them in the correct way and prioritise employee comfort to ensure you receive the best delivery from them.

Of course, customer service is also a skill that can be improved via training courses. This should cover ways that they interact with consumers of all kind (race, religion, disability) and offer the most efficient service possible to show that you’re a reputable brand. On top of this training, you should also make your staff aware of any new products or services that you begin to offer so that they can give customers all of the information that they require.

Outside of your staff force, there are other areas that can help maintain your brand image. Research has suggested that customers will spend up to 13 minutes in a store — so it’s important that you deliver an exceptional service. Queues are notoriously long here in the UK and can be the biggest contributing factor to a customer’s walk-out. To combat this, why not look at queue management software and point of sales service?

Good customer service and a fantastic brand image go hand-in-hand to create customer loyalty. Do it right.

Sources:

https://www.lucidpress.com/blog/25-branding-stats-facts

https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/successful-branding-for-entrepreneurs-statistics/

https://www.thebalancesmb.com/retail-uniforms-good-or-bad-2889981