A brand helps people identify their expectations about your business. A strong brand includes a customer experience promise that helps new customers choose your business, strengthens customer loyalty, ultimately increasing repeat sales and profitability. Customer experiences become your brand’s reputation creating your unique competitive advantage enabling your business to standout with distinction from competitors.
Businesses that have earned a strong brand reputation understand the customer’s total experience includes non-monetary concerns for customer interaction and trust. By creating a total customer experience they help potential customers to clearly set expectations for a purchase and for after-the-sale use of products and services. When expectations are met customers are happier and more likely to be repeat purchasers.
To improve your brand’s customer experience promise determine which monetary and non-monetary factors you can control and those you cannot control then:
• Use price strategies like price points, discounts, sales or specials to control monetary values.
• Influence non-monetary issues with customer interactions and listening to customers, offer warranties, level of quality, staff knowledge of products and services, loyalty programs.
• Create a vision of what customer experience should include promote this vision as a company culture, with staff authorized to resolve any customer problem.
• Set goals for customer experience outcomes that align with the vision. Trainings and continuous reinforcement of a customer service culture.
• Measure outcomes against goals by collecting customer feedback. Celebrate and reward achievements.
• Use customer feedback to continuously improve customer loyalty.
Creating a total customer experience that builds on and strives to exceed customer expectation will enhance your reputation and brand value with increased repeat customers.
