Delivering on brand promises

The word ‘brand’ has been commonplace for some time and without question encompasses the vast and ever-expanding market. When people think of great brands they often speak of memorable logos, celebrities, and elaborate marketing campaigns and without question an often higher than normal price tag.

Brands have never been logical and the true reflection of a great brand is purely driven by the emotional engagement it has with its customers. The question is in such a volatile market how do we keep this engagement at a level that will create both customer commitment and, better yet, advocacy?

Brands have been put to the test by the recent economic downturn and the real winners are not hiding behind their logos and marketing walls. They have truly looked at the most important aspect of their brands – the brand promise and how they can best deliver it.

Most organisations have a mission statement and a list of values that represent their company and in true honesty that is where they begin and end – as a list of words. They should not be seen as a vision for the future but a road map for today that details your customer commitment and your frontline people development.

The time for words are over and customers want, expect and, in some cases, demand action. They are looking to an organisation’s frontline people to reflect the values of the brand and prove to them that they have made the right decision in their purchase. True customer service excellence is achieved when the skills and behaviour of the frontline reflect the expectation of service that was promised by the various marketing mediums. It is not that customers are demanding more – they are just asking to get what they were promised. The importance of a committed, motivated and brand-loyal frontline team has never been more important than it will be in 2010 and those that invest in turning their company values from words into Living Brand actions will definitely see a return.

This topic will be covered in greater detail at the forthcoming Living Brand Champions conference- Creating the magic of customer advocacy through service excellence delivery being held at the Intercontinental Park Lane on 1st December. From contact centres to face-to-face customer service, this unique conference experience brings together senior executives from cross industries to network, learn and share best practice on developing a truly connected frontline.

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