Public relations and customer service are often viewed as separate parts of a business, but in reality, they’re two sides of the same coin. PR professionals shape and protect a company’s public image, while customer service representatives focus on providing support that keeps customers happy. 

See the connection? The way a company handles customer service can have a direct impact on its public image and reputation. In turn, a strong PR strategy can help mitigate negative customer experiences. Keep reading to learn more about why positive customer service experiences are so crucial for protecting and strengthening your brand’s reputation. 

To state the obvious, it builds customer loyalty.

People remember how a business makes them feel. More often than not, customers return because of the experience you gave them, not necessarily because of the price or the product (though that certainly is a factor!). In addition, those customers will likely become brand ambassadors for your company and will share their great experiences with friends, family, colleagues, social media followers, etc. That’s earned “media” you can’t buy!  

Positive customer experiences lead to fewer negative reviews. 

A single negative experience can quickly turn into a one-star review that lingers online for years. As PR professionals, we see it time and again – negative customer interactions are the most common trend that surfaces in our online review monitoring for clients. If a customer service representative can stop the negative interaction in person and at the source, they can prevent unhappy customers from turning to public platforms to air grievances. 

It allows you to learn from customer feedback and improve operations. 

As an owner or an employee who’s passionate about your business, it’s difficult to hear negative feedback, and it’s easy to get defensive or frustrated at the disgruntled customer. However, it’s important to reframe your mindset – every customer complaint or question provides insight into what’s working and where you can improve. You don’t have to have an immediate fix, but customers want to know they’ve been heard; that you care enough to make it right; and that you’re taking steps to ensure that negative experience doesn’t happen again. 

If you’re ready to better align your brand’s customer service experience with PR efforts, our team at Obsidian is just one phone call away!