Sell Your Brand, not the Product

“If it’s the WRONG information you want, you can call your friendly (Major Retail Store) and get just that!! The manager of 6 years, could not care less that I was told an item was available and when I came to the store, it was not there. Could not care less!!! HORRIBLE business practices and customer service!”

The preceding statement is an actual online review of a major retail store. This reviewer is clearly outraged at how they were treated by the customer service representative and manager at a particular location. They never mention what item it was that they were there to buy. On the spectrum of bad customer service complaints, not having an item in stock doesn’t even seem to be all that bad, and may be considered minor by some. What really matters, though, is the feeling that was given to this customer. He felt that the manager didn’t care about his problem, and that made him angry. Now, he has shared that feeling with anyone who looks up this store on the internet. They may not be in the market for the same product or even going to the same location, but the message they get is that this retailer doesn’t care about its customers. They may potentially avoid this store because of one person’s bad interaction at one location.

When representatives from a business interact with customers, they are not just selling products or services; they are selling the brand. How your employees treat those customers defines what your brand stands for in the eyes of those customers. What are you doing to ensure that the message they are sending accurately reflects your company’s mission and goals? How do you know what feeling your business is giving to customers? Customer Satisfaction Surveys are a powerful tool to gauge the impression your business has left on recent customers. How satisfied were they with your service and do they plan to do business with you again? What are their expectations, and are you meeting or exceeding them? Our scientifically developed survey questions are tailored to meet the individual needs of your business. The results are compared to the results of other companies like yours so you can see exactly how you measure up. Our analysts will put together a continuous action plan to help you continually gauge your progress as you implement changes. We will help you get to the bottom of the customer service problems you are experiencing so you can take action and stop problems as soon as they appear.

Customers can get a product or service from any business.  They may even forget what it is they bought or how much it cost. But they will remember their experience and how they were treated. Make sure your customers are being treated the way they expect and the way you expect. Don’t let internet reviews speak for your company. We recommend using customer service surveys to understand the pulse of your customers, so you can react properly. Once you established new directives to improve your customer service, you can re-survey to gauge the effectiveness of your improvement initiatives. Contact us today to get started.