Gone are the days when businesses were the gatekeepers of information and sole decision-makers. Modern customers crave self-sufficiency, want to be included in decision-making, and expect brands to meet this need.
As customers engage with brands online and in person, companies that empower them with the right tools and resources to make informed decisions build stronger relationships and boost sales.
In this article, we will explore customer empowerment, its essential elements, and how it can improve your business.
What is customer empowerment?
Customer empowerment is the process of providing customers with the information, tools, and resources they need to make well-informed decisions.
This entails providing them with the knowledge they need to make choices that bring them closer to their objectives and allow them to take control of their interactions with a company.
It is a form of proactive customer service that promotes transparency and authenticity. Brands become the sources of empowerment for their customers.
By offering customers relevant information and resources like self-service support tools, you give them the confidence to interact with your brand and make purchases.
How to achieve empowerment in customer service
Empowerment in customer service is an essential strategy for business growth. You enhance brand loyalty when you are willing and proactive in empowering your customers.
Below are some elements of customer empowerment that brands should consider to give their customers more control over their interactions:
Offer self-service options
Over the past few years, there has been a growing demand from customers for self-service options.
A report by NICE shows that 95% of companies reported an increase in customer self-service requests, with an average growth of 37% between 2020 and 2021 alone.
Empowering customers begins with providing customer self-service tools to allow them to seek solutions to common problems and troubleshoot issues independently.
Here are self-service options you can provide:
- Customer self-service portals
- Knowledge base
- FAQs sections
It is also a good idea to complement your self-service tools with AI to provide comprehensive and efficient solutions.
Additionally, allowing users to connect on online community forums to discuss and troubleshoot problems, share ideas, and informally engage with other stakeholders, like product managers, is a significant step toward customer empowerment.
Collect customer feedback
Fostering a culture of open communication encourages customers to share positive and negative feedback about your products and services.
Clients with helpful suggestions have the opportunity to speak their minds and actively participate in improving your brand.
Moreover, customer feedback, especially positive customer sentiments, lets other customers learn about the strong selling points of your products and services, thereby empowering them to make the right decisions.
Send out customer satisfaction survey questions after each interaction to gather customer feedback, and, if necessary, provide a comment section on your brand’s website to solicit customer feedback.
Incorporating a customer feedback mechanism throughout the customer journey demonstrates to customers that you value their opinions and want them to have a say in your business operations.
Request customer reviews
Product or service reviews play a crucial role in shaping customer perception and influencing decision-making processes. They provide impartial feedback, empowering customers by validating their choices.
Reviews foster a sense of community among your customer base, bringing together clients with similar opinions and experiences.
Reviews enhance positive brand engagement. When brands respond to reviews and address concerns, customers feel valued and heard, which strengthens their connection to the brand.
To build credibility and instill confidence in potential clients, always encourage your customers to leave reviews on established platforms like Google and Yelp after making a purchase.
By actively soliciting reviews, ratings, and testimonials, brands can empower their customers, improve their reputation, and cultivate a loyal customer base.
Leverage social media
Over the years, social media has transformed from a passive space to a vibrant content creation and interaction hub.
Brands should be active on social media platforms like X and Instagram to connect and interact with their audience in a comfortable digital space that facilitates the free flow of information.
You can use social media to:
- Post informative content about updates to your products or services.
- Educate your customer base on your brand offerings before they even have questions.
- Provide information on how to navigate common stumbling blocks.
- Monitor your brand mentions to quickly address customer issues before they escalate.
Social media platforms foster a space for self-service through peer-to-peer support in online forums or community knowledge bases.
This creates a more interactive online community around your brand, empowering clients with opportunities for meaningful engagement.
Optimize customer onboarding
Customer onboarding involves walking a new customer through your product or service, introducing them to its functions and features, and helping them understand its value after purchase.
Customer onboarding empowers your customers by teaching them to become self-sufficient, thus reducing their reliance on support and boosting their confidence.
Onboarding also has the following benefits for customers:
- Helps them understand the main features of your offering: If a product or service is complicated, onboarding gives clear operational details and guidance on the product or service, allowing customers to maximize its value.
- Helps solve problems independently: Customer onboarding equips clients with the necessary information to solve common issues without the extra hassle of contacting support.
Having a smooth customer onboarding process will not only make the product adoption process for your customers easier, but it can also facilitate customer success and encourage repeat business.
Poor onboarding, on the other hand, can lead to problems arising from clients misinterpreting user guides or manuals and can drive them to ask for refunds.
Invest in effective onboarding strategies to empower new customers and build lasting relationships from the onset.
How can customer empowerment help a brand grow?
Customer empowerment and brand growth are directly related. Clients often stay loyal to brands that empower them in multiple ways.
By providing customers with control, information, and autonomy, businesses create positive customer experiences.
- Boosts sales: Empowered customers are more likely to engage with the brand, participate in loyalty programs, and make larger purchases, ultimately driving sales growth.
- Yields valuable insights: Empowering users to provide feedback generates valuable customer insights that can help you improve your products and services.
- Word-of-mouth marketing: Satisfied clients will actively contribute to your lead generation by recommending your company to others. Their positive feedback and endorsements on websites and social media will attract new clients and advance your company’s growth.
Case Study: Amazon’s customer empowerment
An excellent example of how customer empowerment can impact brand growth can be seen in the rapid growth of the retail giant Amazon; an e-commerce marketplace where users can buy products online.
According to Statista, in 2023, Amazon had a customer satisfaction score of 83 from a total of 100.
Amazon provides detailed product descriptions, specifications, and high-quality images for all items listed on its website.
This, combined with unbiased product reviews and recommendations, empowers prospective customers to compare products and make informed purchasing decisions.
How can customer empowerment prevent customer churn
A recent study by Formation shows that 77% of customers felt that brands could do more to earn their loyalty.
One sure way to achieve this is through empowering customers. Clients are more inclined to stick with a brand that:
- Involves them in decision-making through customer advisory boards.
- Makes information readily available on websites or social media platforms.
- Actively seeks customer feedback to improve its service.
- Provides 24/7 email and live chat support and actively engages with customers on social media platforms to resolve issues as soon as they occur.
- Offers personalized customer service.
- Gives them self-service options.
Well-structured customer empowerment programs can significantly lower churn rates and improve client retention.
Case Study: How Hulu empowers customers to boosts retention
Hulu is an online streaming service that excels at empowering customers so they always stick around.
According to Antenna, between 2020 and 2022, Hulu experienced the lowest customer churn rate of all industry players, about 1%.
Hulu has successfully prevented customer churn by empowering its customers through various strategies such as:
- Constant improvement based on customer feedback: Hulu actively seeks customer feedback using surveys and utilizes data analytics to refine the user experience and content offerings.
- Omnichannel support: Hulu has an omnichannel inbox that empowers their agents to provide 24/7 email and live chat support. Additionally, Hulu actively engages with customers on social media platforms to resolve issues and gather feedback.
- Personalized recommendations: Hulu offers engaging and personalized viewing recommendations based on customers’ browsing and watch history. It also curates content that aligns with individual customers’ preferences, making viewership more convenient and personalized.
By empowering its customers through these diverse strategies, Hulu has effectively minimized churn and ensured sustained growth and customer loyalty.
Harness customer empowerment for sustainable business success
With ever-increasing competition in the market and in a world where the customer is always right, brands must empower their customers to stay competitive and build lasting brand loyalty.
Remember, an empowered customer is a satisfied customer; a satisfied customer means a thriving brand.
Empower your customers and elevate your brand with BoldDesk customer service software. With self-service options, multiple communication channels, and seamless feedback integration, you’ll boost customer satisfaction and minimize churn.
Take control of your customer experience. Contact us for a free trial of BoldDesk today, or schedule a live demo and discover how it can help you grow your brand.
We hope this blog was insightful. If you have any additional ideas, feel free to share them in the comments section below.
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