The Pitch: Trust follows when promise equals delivery

By PAUL STEWART

When is your customer's experience more bland than "on brand"? When staff don't understand the connection between the promise of your marketing and their role in delivering "on brand" customer experience.

One of the greatest challenges in the business world - whether in New Zealand or any other country - is how to engage staff so that they deliver your brand as passionately as does your marketing.

It's true that branding has become the business buzzword. The reason couldn't be more straightforward and underscores a clear business message in today's crowded marketplace: your brand defines the point of differentiation and is, perhaps, your only real opportunity to stand out.

Yet, despite all the money invested in branding, most brands under perform. As one hotelier said: "Our marketing collateral is good. But do we deliver? If we really delivered what we imply, our customer-return rate would be much higher."

Is that so surprising? Not, according to David Burrows of The Design Agency in England, who says "40 per cent of marketing investment is wasted, as ill-informed or demotivated behaviour by staff unwittingly undermines the promotional promise".

And consumers do notice. They judge us, often subconsciously, against the promises we make.

A recent study put a large exclamation mark on this point. A survey of 4000 customers of nine blue chip Australian organisations sponsored by the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals showed only one in 20 customers trusts the organisations that serve them.

A major reason for an "off brand" experience is that most branding strategies rely heavily on buying ad space in an economy that has become predominantly service based.

While marketers can fairly easily present one consistent external face of the brand, and even the physical touch-points, delivering customer service that enhances the brand is another matter. Customer service is a dynamic exchange between human beings, who are highly individualistic.

The personal service component of the brand experience is a powerful competitive weapon, waiting to be unleashed. But we must do much better in engaging those overseeing and delivering service.

Research by Scott Davis and Michael Dunn across 90 global organisations showed that 45 per cent of managers lack an understanding of their brand. Sixty-two per cent of respondents highlighted a lack of senior manager support for their brands. Both of these deficiencies were judged by corporations as threats to their long-term business success.

Some companies are trying to bridge this void but, unfortunately, many are continuing to use branding models that are more appropriate to fast-moving consumer goods.

Customer service scripting is a case in point. Tightly scripted, rule-driven customer interaction is fraught with danger, because it often leads to exchanges that leave customers either ambivalent or scratching their heads in wonderment about the service they have received and the integrity of the words. It can also lead to bored, under-used and frustrated staff.

Brand experts Bob Tyrell and Tim Westall say branding customer service implies developing a recognisable style and personality. Here are some tips for brand success:

* Don't over-promise. Too much stretch between the promise (expectations) and the delivery (experiences) leaves customers and staff cynical and disengaged.

* View the brand as a quality process. Your brand is an expression of your business strategy - "who we are and what we stand for".

* Educate your staff. They are your brand champions, but they can't deliver what they don't know. Employees are a key audience for marketers.

* Engage HR as a strategic brand partner. Arguably, branding resides as much in the HR department as it does in marketing. Your people-based practices need to be in-sync if you want their behaviour to be on-brand.

* Don't be too prescriptive. Provide tools, exercises and examples to imbue staff with the essence of the brand in action, then get out of the way while they deliver it.

* Paul Stewart is director of TMI New Zealand and co-author of Branded Customer Service - the New Competitive Edge. More practical ideas can be found at Brand Service

* The Pitch is a forum for those working in advertising, marketing, public relations and communications. We welcome lively and topical 500-word contributions.
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