Understanding your Customer Contact Points

Published on December 19th, 2012 | Last updated on October 22nd, 2018 by Spicy B

This is part three of a three part series on Rebranding Your Business

Part One: Introduction
Part Two: The Process of Designing a Logo
Part Three: Understanding your Customer Contact Points

Part Three: Understanding your Customer Contact Points

Your points of contact should maintain a consistent brand across your website, business cards, phone conversations and any other point of customer contact.

First impressions count, so make the most of them. In any given day thousands of customers decide in a snapshot whether they like or dislike a product. This snapshot generally lasts between six and thirty seconds. This is the amount of time, with which, you have to capture the attention of potential consumers, and engage them with your products and services.

In these nano-moments your customers will decide:

If they like you,
If they trust you, and
If they want to do business with you.

Let’s take a look at what elements of your business will encourage a positive response from consumers and the best ways to draw them in.

Brand Image
Let this be the way your consumers perceive your personality as a business. Your brand image consists not only of an inner mental image but an outer image as well.

Suppose you own a shoe brand: your shop should be decorated appropriately and your signage ought to be consistent. Your uniforms should be professional, clean and sharp. Above all, your staff should embody the image of your brand – your staff should act the way your business as a whole does. If your business is fun but classy, make sure that your staff are being respectful to the customers.

If your business deals mostly with referrals, then ideally your business card needs to be in tip-top shape! Since your business card is your number one business strategy in gaining customers, this will be the first piece of information given to them when they request you. If your card is high-quality, unique and attention-grabbing, consumers will be intrigued and motivated to take action in using your services.

Communication
Phone conversations are just as important and need to be given equal attention. They play a key in establishing your customer relationship.

Care should be taken to ensure that tone of conversation is in line with the brand image. From a customer’s perspective, your phone demeanour reveals to the them a part of your brand identity. So the way that you present yourself on the phone should be consistent with your brand image.

Customers value authenticity, and an tone that is inconsistent with the brand image can send a mixed message. A consistent image breeds trust and helps build your customer relationship. This, in turn, leads to your brand being associated with reliability, trustworthiness and helpfulness. Good customer relationships lead to higher customer satisfaction.

In addition, make sure to always be helpful and polite. This means speaking on the same level as the caller and avoiding jargon.

Online
If recent trends are anything to go by, far more people consult Google than the Yellow pages. Your website and social media profiles will often be the first point of contact for many individuals. So having an online presence is a key step in ensuring your competitiveness.

Your website makes your information readily available on-demand and acts as a 24/7 sales pitch. Make sure the important information is readily available and easily found so as to make it easy for them to take the next step. The next step could be: emailing you, calling you, commenting on a post, liking your Facebook page, or any other social interaction or engagement.

Thanks for tuning in this week, we hope you enjoyed our tips. Keep in touch for lots more helpful tips for your business.

Spicy team.