Reading Luis Santos’s blog post I’m Best Friends With My Brand…Are You? relating to how brands need to be personal and more “human” reminded me of the importance of building strong customer relationships. He touched on the fact that being more personal is one of the few ways a brand can distinguish itself from the competition and be successful is today’s highly saturated markets. His thoughts and ideas precisely captured what most consumers are really looking for from the brands they purchase goods and services from.

This led me to think about how customer service is continuing to become a more and more integral aspect for the majority of businesses. In most markets, there is little differentiation amongst the actual products or services provided, and therefore companies need to look for other ways to make themselves stand out. Customer service can be a valuable tool to do this. In order to provide this, brands need to be geared towards the long run and have the ability to build a strong reputation over time. They also need to constantly communicate with their customers and react to their changing wants and needs. This involves having in place a strong customer feedback system, and employing intelligent and helpful staff in order to personally assist customers with questions or problems they may have. Brands that are able to stand out in these areas will gain an significant advantage over their competition and if they can maintain a high level of customer service, will continue to succeed well into the future.