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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
Customer empowerment is important for the following reasons:
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.
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:
Well-structured customer empowerment programs can significantly lower churn rates and improve client 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:
By empowering its customers through these diverse strategies, Hulu has effectively minimized churn and ensured sustained growth and customer loyalty.
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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