Businesses that prioritize excellent service create positive experiences, establish trust and cultivate long-term relationships with their clients.
Studies show that more than one-half of consumers foster loyalty toward certain brands¹ and are more likely to become loyal if they enjoy their experience with a business². Following is insight into the connection between customer experience/service and brand building:
Perception, Interaction and Building Relationships
Customer experience consists of perception, interaction and building a lasting impression:
- Perception: Everything that consumers see, hear and sense about your brand, including logo, colors, products/services, website, social media, etc.
- Interaction: How prospects connect with your brand, including their experience, comments they leave on social media, inquiries on your website, etc.
- Building Relationships: Customer experience is about building relationships, key to being remembered.
The Psychology of Brand Loyalty
More than three-quarters of consumers want to form a relationship with a business³ and over one-half go out of their way to purchase from brands to which they are loyal⁴:
- Emotional Connection: The most intrinsic and basic need a customer will have with your company is emotional so strive for a positive impact.
- Reliability: Ensure seamless service with consistency, understanding, reliability, and putting your customers first.
- Community: Work on building a lively community around your business and make clients feel like they belong.
The Role of Customer Service in Brand Loyalty
Customer service is the face of your brand so make the most of this powerful tool:
- First Impressions: Pick up on cues from customers and use them to provide a personalized, empathetic experience.
- Problem Resolution: Approach issues proactively.
- Feedback Collection: Consumers trust you to listen when they give feedback, so ensure they feel heard and acknowledged.
Customer service is a critical element in building and sustaining loyalty. Businesses that prioritize excellent service create positive experiences, establish trust and cultivate long-term relationships with their clients.
Source: Forbes Business Council, reported by Amil Gandhi, CEO of NovelVox; ¹Statista; ²Harvard Business Review; ³Merkle; ⁴Zendesk