Employees are probably the most important factor when building a company brand. Why? I’ll explain. They influence the way customers perceive your brand and their desire to invest in it and be satisfied by it. They are at the front line of customer interaction with your brand and directly influence its performance. They must understand the brand and be motivated by it.
Fulfillment
A company’s inability to identify and fulfil customer expectations can destroy the potential of its brand. Every interaction between customer and employee determines the future relationship between that customer and your company. Failure to deliver the promise that your brand makes to the world can undermine customer loyalty and point them in the direction of your competitors. Put simply, it’s all about the ‘feel good factor’. Their ability to relate to the brand – what it has to offer and how value is delivered.
Many companies find it hard to realise that all the customer is interested in is getting a result. This requires constant focus on the customer experience through the entire sales process. This is often referred to as ‘end-to-end customer management’.
This focus on customer needs demands fast and efficient service, convenience, access to sales-related information, cross-fertilisation of purchasing opportunities and having solutions to all their problems.
Delivery of your ‘brand promise’ requires its manifestation at every point of customer contact from stationery, advertising, packaging, physical environments and your website, to such things as how your phones are answered and the clothes your salesforce wear.
Employees are critical in creating and reinforcing a successful customer experience and thereby building respect and loyalty to your brand. The outcome is positive ‘word of mouth’ communication about your brand.
How do your employees stack up?
Ask these questions... Are your employees motivated to embrace the ‘brand promise’? Do they have an understanding of how to enhance the customer experience? Are they committed achievers who can articulate the brand with passion and conviction?
How often are employees challenged internally to express their understanding of the brand?
Apart from their understanding of the sales process and transactions, have you asked them recently to describe what your brand is all about to ascertain whether they are ready to interface with your customers? What incentives do you have in place to excite them and motivate them? Do they understand the consequences of not living the brand?
Here are 10 tips on 'planting the brand' in the minds of your customers
1. Training
Empower employees with a deep understanding of the brand and also product and service knowledge and ensure they can deliver it. Make them understand the key role they play in building a positive perception of the brand in the minds of customers.
2. Systems
Have systems in place whereby employees can process customer requests in a timely and efficient manner.
3. Empowerment
Encourage employees to exercise their own judgment when interacting with customers.
4. Information
Most interactions with customers are very short, requiring customer and/or product information to be at employees’ fingertips.
5. Dealing with complaints
Where a genuine mistake occurs, have a system in place whereby the employee can quickly repair any damage to the customer’s perception of the product/service and ensure the mistake does not repeat itself.
6. Rewarding sales and service
Set performance goals not only for sales but also for solving problems and delighting a customer. Applaud great service and 'going the extra mile'.
7. Communications
Maintain regular communications between customer and company, and also within the company to keep everyone focused and ‘on the boil’. Internal marketing of the brand is as important as that which is directed to customers. It must be equally persuasive.
8. Responding to change
Employees can react adversely to change - ensure they are informed of what change is happening, why it has happened, what role they play, and what are its benefits.
9. First impressions
New employees must not only be instructed in workplace procedures but be inspired and motivated by the company brand, its values, culture, achievements and the dedication behind it that is securing its success.
10. Service first and last
Ensure your employees understand that service is a major success factor for every consumer-facing brand.
What value employees?
When it comes to employees, companies tend to view them:
- as expenses to be minimised
- as assets that can build brand value
For many companies it requires a fundamental shift in attitude to achieve the latter. These ‘brand ambassadors’ are a high value consideration in brand building. Those companies which fail to recognise this value run the risk of weakening the brand offer, alienating customers and missing out on an opportunity to grow their business.
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