The relationship with your clients is at the heart of your business growth and success. In fact, you live in an area where the constant desire for personalisation and tailored solutions has made it impossible to ignore what your clients want. Besides, online reviews platforms such as Google Maps for businesses with a physical location, Trusted Shops, Feefo or even Trustpilot – these last three focus equally on online and offline stores –, means that your customers can make their voices heard. A negative review can not only affect your relationship with one particular customer, but it can also influence how future buyers perceive your brand. Finally, the most common platform for customers who need to vent about everything that frustrates them with your company is Twitter. Twitter is the best place to collect honest reviews about your brand – be warned, though: These will be most likely negative.
The bottom line is that now that your customers can share their opinion publicly, it’s crucial that you smooth out all those rough areas that lead to frustration. From high-quality products to dedicated services, most companies are working hard to meet the expectations of buyers. But there are three commonly overlooked areas that can change your reputation:
The website that is built for SEO only
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, it’s fair to say that you are aware of the importance of SEO. Search Engine Optimization is, by definition, the act of building a website that is accessible for search engines such as Google and Bing. However, search engines present a serious disadvantage for businesses: They don’t buy your services. Creating content with only an SEO perspective means that you are potentially neglecting your target demographics. Remember that your content needs to be written for people first, and then for search engines. Not the other way round.
The shops that work for nobody
Your stores need to act as an extension of your brand personality. Nobody is going to believe a brand whose web presence and physical presence differ radically. Your clients want to feel that they can receive the same quality of service whether they shop online or in store, and that’s precisely why it’s essential to run programmes targeted at detailing the customer experience with mystery shoppers and tailored surveys. Ultimately, you want your shops to convey the same emotions than the website and the overall brand vision. Lack of consistency affects the trust your clients put in the company.
The customer services that refuse to move into the 21st century
Whether a client contacts you for a complaint or a query, every step they take has to be easy, accessible and intuitive. Amazon, the online retailer giant, is an example of a great company that could still improve its services. Indeed, clients who own a Gmail account struggle with unnecessary security alerts from Amazon. Googlemail and Gmail domains have been one and the same platform for over 14 years. However, Amazon refuses to acknowledge it and stop several clients from getting in touch with the customer service as a result.
Every company has areas of improvement. The better you understand your clients, the sooner you can get rid of the little things that affect their relationship with your brand.
Chantal these are awesome points. I put myself in my clients shoes to make sure I see things from their take. Awesome way to build strong bonds and to grow business.