Your brand’s level of trust with a consumer can take years to establish, but it can all be undone in a short time with an unfavorable act or two. Public relations and marketing efforts that make positive contributions towards establishing a connection with consumers are worthwhile, but any of the following missteps can quickly undermine your hard work.
Slow or Inattentive Customer Service
Nobody likes to be ignored, and in today’s socially-connected world, a customer who feels ignored or unimportant can very easily share their frustrations with countless others. Not only are customers likely to leave your business and never return, but also negative online reviews can seriously damage your brand’s overall credibility with consumers.
Over-Promising and Under-Delivering
Research shows customers are often willing to pay a bit more if it means they will be receiving a premium product or service. The problem arises when a brand fails to deliver a product or service of the expected quality. Make sure your company is providing the level of service your customers believe their money warrants.
Ignoring Your Customers
It’s also a bad idea to act overly detached or disinterested in your customers. Consumers want to feel important and cared for. While you shouldn’t pester people after they make a purchase, try to make a connection with them and start a conversation. Word-of-mouth marketing requires connecting with the right influencers for your brand, so a follow-up message asking customers about the quality of their experience is a good idea.
Treating Some Customers Better Than Others
Showing preference for one type of customer over another makes sense for some businesses, such as airlines and their frequent flyer programs. Generally, however, providing perks for one group of customers and not another is an easy way to end up being disliked by the group that doesn’t receive the perks. This means your business should be treating public figures exactly the same as John Doe from down the street.
Failing to Provide Human Interaction
Customer service often ignores the second word in that phrase: service. Customers who call a customer service number expect to be helped, so when they end up talking to a machine telling them to “Press 1 now,” they end up frustrated. One of the easiest ways to lose a customer and make them have negative feelings towards your brand is to make them feel helpless when they have an issue with your product or service. Try your best to offer 24-hour support that will actually help your customers solve problems.
