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“A brand not responding on social media is like hanging up the phone on customers. With millions watching” Dave Kerpen, Co-founder of Likeable Media.

Your customers are talking about your brand on multiple platforms, with real-time conversations. Any misstep from the customer service team gets amplified across social media channels. It is hardly a surprise that most top brands today pay a lot of importance to customer service and feedback. Here are the 5 brands that offer memorable customer experiences.

What is A Memorable Customer Service?

A memorable customer service is the type of experience that leaves a lasting positive impression on a customer. Here, brands focus on going beyond merely resolving issues or answering questions. It involves personalized interactions, where customers are addressed by name and offered tailored solutions. Customer service professionals are trained to combine professionalism with empathy and show genuine care for their situation, making them feel valued. Other variables of memorable customer service are timeliness, prompt resolutions and a proactive approach to solving problems. This brings about high-quality interactions and strengthens the bond between the customer and the brand.  

In this podcast by CX files, we discuss two types of customer feedback- solicited and unsolicited type of customer feedback. Watch the episode here. 

Top 5 Brands For Excellent Customer Service: 

The key to offering a memorable experience is to focus on active omni-channel platforms. Here are 5 international brands that get customers coming back for more.

1. Apple inspires employees with brand values which reflects on their customer service:

There is a reason why Apple has a raving fan base. Apple is currently ranked 80% in the American Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Index. However, this electronic giant has ranked 1 in customer satisfaction for their Mac and iPad devices. This ranking is the highest among most brands in the electronic industry. This electronic mogul has definitely understood how to offer top notch customer support.

Apple has figured out that with a high price point comes a high purchasing anxiety. They offer one-year warranty, complimentary repairs and free product replacements. They also go lengths to design exceptional product packages. This collective effort guarantees them a high brand loyalty across the world.

Apple also caters to their employees globally. They offer regular training sessions and offer open communication channels with their peers to promote cross learning. They built an ecosystem that reflects Apple values which inspires employees to match up and provide the right kind of customer experience. The entire organization focuses on problem-solving and quality customer service.

2. Starbucks converts their customers into a brand ambassador by hearing them out:

Starbucks is not just a mere coffee shop. It is a networking hub for professionals and creative coffee connoisseurs as well. There are currently 38,038 Starbucks stores globally as recorded in the year 2023. The units have almost grown per year over the past decade. 

They initially opened a “My Starbucks Idea” in 2008 as a means to cater to their customers. This brought in multiple feedback from suggesting a free birthday treat to a brand new coffee flavor. Starting from their round table furniture to their commitment to the ecosystem, this brand sets a great example for wonderful customer service.

In the virtual world, the support team will pay individual attention to their users. Their social media team is known for their quick and personalized responses. This coffee giant also collect customer feedback via a dedicated website. 

3. Netflix increases customer delight by using customer data to personalize content:

Netflix’s subscriber base witnessed a very clear linear progression starting from 2013 to 2021. During the initial quarter of 2024, Netflix recorded 277+ million paid subscribers worldwide as per Statista.

Netflix has a data powered recommendation system that customizes feed according to every single user’s preference. They also identified clusters of people who have similar tastes. Based on this, the brand focuses on personalization for every single user. This is reflected on the home screens.

Netflix has mastered collecting data at all customer touch points. They also run 250 A/B tests per year. This enables them to determine if a customer is hovering over a thumbnail or watching a recommended video.

On X (formerly and fondly known as Twitter), Netflix has a wonderful track record of customer interaction. They keep a tone of wit and humour and do not intimidate the customers with a typical corporate tone.

4. IKEA focuses on a complete in-store experience to bring in more footfalls:

The founder, Ingvar Kamprad’s vision was “to create a better everyday life for the many people.” IKEA is not just a furniture store but an experience for customers. Their total global stores went from 445 units in 2020 to 458 units in 2021. As of January 2024, the market recorded 471 IKEA stores in 62 countries and 5 territories. 

The ‘IKEA purpose’ aims to create products that improve their customers’ lives and provide value addition coupled with quality and affordability.

Their store designs give a sense of comfort and familiarity. They have studied consumer psychology and created an ecosystem where people feel less stressed at the sight, taste and smell of food inside the stores. Kamprad himself said that you cannot do business with someone on an empty stomach.

The store layout enables people to feel like they are in a homely environment. IKEA’s customer service starts right from the store to the advertising campaigns. In North America, IKEA’s retail sales upped from $5.33 billion to 5.91 billion US dollars.

5. Ritz Carlton is known for its premium service and an even premium experience:

The Ritz-Carlton operates over 110 hotels and resorts across more than 30 countries worldwide. Their locations boast of key cities and exotic destinations. These properties are recognized for their lavish accommodations and consistent delivery of world-class hospitality. However, this is now what makes the brand popular. Despite being synonymous with luxury, they are known for their memorable guest experiences.

Central to their approach is the “Gold Standards” framework, which focuses on values such as respect, trust, and attention to detail. Every staff member, from the concierge to the housekeeping team, is empowered to anticipate guest needs and provide solutions without delays. Their employees are trained to remember guests’ preferences to personalize and tailor experiences for every guest. The Ritz-Carlton also encourages a culture of empowerment, allowing employees to spend up to $2,000 per guest to resolve issues without managerial approval. This is a good way to showcase their commitment to unparalleled service.

5 Ways To Know If A Company is Good At Customer Service

There are a few key indicators that can help you determine if a company is good at customer service. These include:

1. Respond to customers faster:

A good customer service representative will be quick to respond to inquiries and concerns, whether through phone, email, or chat. A systematic and a well equipped touchpoint can reduce friction and cater to unhappy customers. Social listening skills are extremely important now since people expect faster assistance. True sign of professionalism is when customer service agents are able to close the feedback loop efficiently.

2. Active listening across touchpoints:

The representatives should be knowledgeable, clear, and courteous when addressing your concerns. The quality of customer service is also determined by how fast a service representative solves an issue without shifting it to another agent. When companies empower their representatives with the right tools, they can offer prompt resolution without the need to escalate. This reflects in the customer effort score surveys positively.

3. Personalize solutions with genuine empathy:

Not every problem is created equally. Hence this requires a good level of emotional intelligence in your customer service agents. They can decipher the exact issue, offer personalized solutions and deliver outstanding customer service. A great customer service team will actively listen to your concerns and show genuine empathy towards your situation. One amazing example being: footwear brand Zappos held a call with a customer for 9 hours 52 minutes. The customer needed help with certain footwear for their wedding day. With incredible customer support ,the service rep raised the bar in the industry.

4. Positive reviews can be a social proof:

Customer retention is the sum total of great experience and positive reviews on the internet. Reading reviews from other customers can give you an idea of how a company conducts its customer experience protocols. Social proof goes a long way to showcase the credibility of a brand. Memorable service equals a positive word-of-mouth marketing, both online and offline.

5. Using automation over manual CX methods:

Low response rate can be a major problem. With solid feedback comes the ability to offer great service. Use updated mediums for a seamless feedback collection. It could be via Whatsapp surveys, Facebook messenger surveys, chat bot surveys and SMS. Using AI in survey data analysis has become a norm since 2023. Using this feature, marketers can obtain real time feedback and prevent errors from manual handling of data.

Conclusion

Merren offers AI Survey Builder that can collect prompt feedback from your target audience. Now create customer satisfaction metrics and launch it via omni channel platforms of dynamic emails, messenger based mediums and website chat bots. Sign up for a 14 day free trial and supercharge the way you collect customer feedback with our tools.