Today, many consumers don’t buy your products simply because you have the best product, but because of what you stand for.
Companies large and small go to great lengths to develop brand standards and the adherence to these standards is critical in defining and managing the expectations that their customers (and employees) have come to expect. These standards apply to an array of public facing activities including marketing/advertising content, employee empowerment and training programs, the design of branded materials and signage, and yes, managing interaction with the customers in all facets of the business, especially in today’s multi-channel world.
A brand is not simply a logo or slogan, but more the effort of capturing and reinforcing the identity associated with that brand for customers - the public’s perception of the company:
- What value does that brand bring to me, the customer?
- What have I come to expect from that company?
- Am I a fan of that company?
For these reasons, missing the expectations associated with that brand, even if rare, can have lasting impacts on your customers and those they influence. A dirty bathroom in a restaurant…no call back after leaving a phone message…a missed deadline for delivery…and thousands of other items can create chasms between your company’s brand and your customer’s perception of it.
Brand standards are especially critical in multi-unit and franchise operations. The question is how to ensure consistency across the operational landscape, even when facing the challenge of multiple franchisees, regions, store footprints, and other factors.
No one can visit every location, on every day, to assure their brand standards are met, but the tools are available to track your company’s performance against your branding investments. Mystery shopping, social media reviews, customer satisfaction analysis, guest and employee satisfaction surveys, call center monitoring and advanced analytics are all tools that can gauge how your company, from clerk to C-suite, are performing against your company’s standards.
To achieve the highest and best value to branding investments, companies must continuously monitor compliance with established branding, sales and/or operational standards, identify the highest impact areas for improvement with an understanding of what matter most to customers (and revenue), and finally, identify individual locations where operational compliance needs immediate attention. Ultimately, these efforts will drive actionable improvement, and returns, to your branding activities.
If you’re looking to measure your brand standards, contact us today and check out our digital CX solutions and get actionable insights across all digital channels
