Good customer service and brand image are intrinsically linked. If you want your retail business to succeed, you need to seriously consider how your brand will be perceived by both investors and customers. Dimensions, who specialize in corporate wear, have looked into the importance of brand image in retail and customer service, as well as the best ways to improve your business.
Easy Ways To Improve Brand Image
The easiest way to improve your brand image is to look into uniforms. You need to ensure that your employees are identifiable to customers and this can only be achieved by designing a uniform that stands out; while catering to each type of individual that works for you (considering religions etc). By having a uniform rather than just a generic dress code, you will spend less time monitoring what employees are wearing on a daily basis which otherwise could become extremely costly. As well as this, uniforms represent your business – so you must design them in the correct way and prioritise employee comfort to ensure you receive the best delivery from them.
You should also look into developing the skills of your employees, so that they represent the business in a positive way to customers. This should cover ways that they interact with consumers of all kind (race, religion, disability) and offer the most efficient service possible to show that you’re a reputable brand. On top of this training, you should also make your staff aware of any new products or services that you begin to offer so that they can give customers all of the information that they require.
Workers are integral when it comes to the every-day running of the business, but there are other available. Research has suggested that customers will spend up to 13 minutes in a store — so it’s important that you deliver an exceptional service. Queues are notoriously long here in the UK and can be the biggest contributing factor to a customer’s walk-out. To combat this, why not look at queue management software and point of sales service?
Customer Perceptions
According to surveys, over 70% of British adults rate a good customer experience as more important than the product itself. Although you should also be prioritizing the quality of your products (to reduce returns and negative business reviews), you should be constantly reviewing your current customer service methods and continually think of ways that you can improve the overall service.
However, it’s important that businesses don’t become blinded with their current delivery of customer service. According to one study, 80% of businesses already believe that they deliver a superior service to their consumers – but only 8% of shoppers actually agree with this statement.
So it’s crucial that your brand makes a good first impression as 48% of consumers have stated that they are likely to become more loyal after their first purchase; if the service is good. Not only that, but if you’re looking to increase your consumer acquisition rates – this is a good avenue to go down. And 84% of people make a purchase because of a referral; so if your first impression is worthwhile, it could lead to additional business.
The Bottom Line On Business Brand Image
But how can you make sure that your customer service stands out from your competitors? How can you better your business brand image? Those are the multi-million dollar questions you must answer as a successful retailer!
