Brand dissonance is the unpleasant tension caused by a conflict of feelings or thoughts arising from a product or brand that fails to meet expectations, or from incorrect treatment by customer service. Everyone experiences this at some point. For example, one might have a good feeling about a product or brand, only for this to be undone by other interactions with customer service that make us feel we made a mistake trusting the brand.
A customer experiencing dissonance due to the handling by the customer service department will feel very annoyed. This does your organization no good. It is therefore important to resolve this dissonance. This needs to be put out of the way as soon as possible, because if it takes too long, the customer will become increasingly resistant.
Your organization’s customer service department needs to resolve the brand dissonance as soon as possible. To achieve this, the following solutions are proposed.
Negativism
It is natural to focus on negative aspects. The customer does this, but so does the customer service representative. It is important for the representative to recognize this and commit to handling the matter quickly and correctly.
Candor
The customer is well aware that mistakes are made. They are quite willing to accept this, provided it is discussed openly and a solution is offered. It is up to the employee here. Inform the customer that if a mistake has occurred, you are sorry. That is where you start. Next comes the action required to convince the customer that the apology is sincere and that a solution is being offered. This gives the customer satisfaction and will be shared, for example, at birthday parties.
Good vs. bad service
With a link to negativity, bad service will always win out over good service in a customer’s memory. No matter how good the product is, bad service detracts from the product.
Social media
Social media has developed into an important institution for expressing opinions. This can be positive, but also negative. For example, Klacht.nl is an easily accessible site where customers can voice their complaints. The consultation function of Klacht.nl should also be disregarded. But besides this site, there are also sites where customers voice a positive opinion. So keep an eye on all social media.
Growing through complaints
At first glance, a contradiction. Yet, dissonant situations can be viewed as an opportunity to grow. Employees must be so customer-oriented that the matter is resolved to full satisfaction. And, if necessary, with a little extra, leaving the customer with nowhere to turn. This is then passed on by the customer multiple times later on, and that benefits the organization.
Money back
To handle a dispute correctly, it is necessary to satisfy the customer while also working on building customer loyalty. All kinds of promises can be made to the customer, but giving a refund generates the most satisfaction. Simply giving a refund is not sufficient for customer loyalty. More is needed for that, and the employee must be trained for it.
It does no harm to take a closer look at brand dissonance within the organization. There are always starting points to improve the level of customer service.
