Companies work long and hard to give a respectable name and personality to their product/service. They spend untold millions of dollars to market and sell it to the public. So it is a sad day when broken promises tarnish the brand/reputation of a business. For example, when the telephone service provider brags that customer service is their first priority and the consumer’s service is interrupted/stopped but the support representative is not empowered to “go off script” to try to solve the problem but explains that for a fee, a technician can come out between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to fix it. It is no surprise that the consumer is left with feelings of frustration and anger.
Let’s be honest, a company’s brand goes far beyond magazine, television, radio or website ads. Brand promises reflect everything you say and imply when you market and sell to the public: clean windows, floors and shelves, the disposition of your employees and their non-verbal messages, the availability of your product. Brand promises reflect how you treat your employees, vendors and suppliers.
Right or wrong, customers draw conclusions about your company brand and link you to it, along with the C-Suite, the executive team and all of your employees.
Avoid company brand tarnish:
- Do not lie, over promise or shade the truth
- Consumers ask questions on various media/social channels; answer their questions quickly and accurately the first time
- Make every customer experience positive — that includes in-store, online, social media and other channels.
- Train employees how to anticipate customer needs and empower them to make decisions to solve customer complaints without having to first confer with management
The responsibility of the Chief Marketing Officer and the executive team to define, demonstrate and deliver consistent and amazing customer experiences. Their leadership shows their employees how to line up with the company’s brand objectives.
Do it today…make it work for the sake of your brand.
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