According to a PWC study, 73% of customers say customer experience is one of the primary factors in their purchasing decision. Great customer journey, augmented and personalized pre-, during-, and post-purchase experience will influence the level of customer retention and the image of the brand.
Brands with consistent representation have seen a 33% increase in revenue. Consistency should be present in:
- Visual part of the brand.
- Written content.
- Quality of service or products.
- Customer communication and support.
Being on the front lines of customer communication, a support team is often the only one customers talk to in the entire company. How can it influence a brand image?
In this article, we'll cover:
Maintain Consistency
Within the customer journey, both a business and customer support hold the responsibility of maintaining the same level of consistency.
- 89% of customers say they stay loyal to a brand that shares their values. Developing a system of values that would resonate with the core of the customer base is as important as having a great product or delivering a fantastic service.
- It takes 5-7 impressions before an awareness starts to develop. To form it perfectly, the support team should know what the company’s main message is, what are the best ways to deliver it every time, and how to remain consistent while doing it.
Deal With Crisis Situation
PWC says 80% of American consumers name speed, convenience, and knowledge as the three most important skills of support teams. They become more important in the time of crisis, when the amount of customer communication might surge.
2020 saw an increase of support calls marked as ‘difficult’ by more than 100%. At the same time, 89% of customers mark the speed of responses and resolution as “important”.
Even when overloaded, the support team should answer quickly, correctly, and in a consistent manner:
- Always remain calm.
- Maintain a consistent level of service/product knowledge.
- Implement active listening.
- Listen to customer feedback and relay it to managers or developers.
Not letting the crisis situation deteriorate the quality of customer support or even using it to improve is a trait of any professional customer support team.
Go the Extra Mile
58% of customers are ready to spend more to deal with a business that provides excellent customer service and support. American Express says 70% of customers have already made a choice of brand due to high customer service quality.
A support team that goes the extra mile in any way possible can always help retain old and attract new customers. One of the ways a support team can go the extra mile not only for the customers, but for the brand itself is following up on bad customer reviews. About 95% of customers talk about their bad experience, whereas only 87% talk about a good one. Negative reviews can damage brand image. Following the customers up and fixing whatever issue they have experienced can drastically improve the situation.
This approach would allow turning a company’s mistakes into a win for the brand.
Create an Atmosphere and Build a Team
No support team can provide the best customer service and influence the brand image without proper conditions and atmosphere:
Support your support: establish a culture of free and efficient communication between customer support and other teams. The atmosphere of free communication will help the team feel comfortable and be at its most productive all the time.
Provide good working conditions: proper and up-to-date soft- and hardware, cozy offices, coffee, tea, and fruit supply can make all the difference. This will also help promote your brand image in the eyes of your teams.
Make flexibility one of your values: 76% of professionals admit — they are willing to stay on with their company if it offers flexible working hours. It is now one of the core requirements for a business to be modern and supportive of their team.
By being consistent, calm, efficient, and caring, a support team establishes not only a certain business image, but a trusting and lasting relationship with customers. It increases loyalty and retention levels and stimulates business growth. Choosing the right support team is a cornerstone of developing the right brand image. One that can’t be overlooked or neglected.
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Daria Leshchenko is Partner at SupportYourApp — Support as a Service company with a focus on the tech industry. Taking charge of SupportYourApp at the age of 21, Daria turned it into a multinational business and one of the TOP-3 customer support providers. Today SupportYourApp has 3 offices in Kyiv with 900 people on a team and 150 clients from around the world. Daria graduated from MIM business school, the Aspen Institute Kyiv and is a Harvard Kennedy School alumna. She is also in Top 30 under 30 list by KyivPost and #1 on the list of Top 50 Entrepreneurs in Ukraine by MC.Today. In 2021 Daria was recognized as the Woman of the Year in Customer Service by the Stevie Awards. Daria is a startup mentor, a public speaker, art and sports enthusiast.
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