I studied at a university that is at the frontier of brand management. Messaging, positioning, maneuvering, strategy, and tactics were drilled into us. A company is its brand. A team is its brand. An individual is its brand. However, once I arrived in the day-to-day operations of a company and customer management I realized that independent of the myriad directions that one could take on a brand strategy, in the long run the reputation and brand of a company, team, or individual follows the history of customer experiences. Brand positioning must be aligned with the customer experience; otherwise, contrary to what the conspiracy theorists may say, customers stop believing the marketing. Watching the success and failure of various brands in a number of countries, I've witnessed brands gravitate to the customer experience, and the customer experience is at its best when 1) customer expectations are met, and 2) the "wow" factor is then thrown in. Below are two examples. The first is one of my favorite stories of customer service, and the other is about me.
Hampton Inn is not the highest-end brand in the hotel segment, but they strive to establish a brand that fulfills customer expectations. However, with the occasional "wow" factor thrown in during downtime, they can push the brand even further. In the "Additional Requests" field on a Hampton Inn online reservation, one guest wrote, "Please place a framed picture of Alfonso Ribeiro on the nightstand." As Hampton says, "We love having you here." Delivered as requested.
I had taken over a new department with about 30 employees. Results were okay, but not great. This was one of the few departments I had taken over that had a somewhat successful manager before my arrival, and I knew that there were misgivings about me. In the country I was working, it was nearly impossible for anyone to read every word of every document that requires a notarized signature from an authorized board member. And it seemed that every document needed a notarized signature. Accordingly, a high volume of paper came across my desk. On my second day in the role, an employee presented a document to sign, and after a five-second glance I pointed out a typo in a single number in the middle of the page. Next, an employee entered asking for help with a problem with his department. I had some familiarity with the problem from previous experiences. After about three minutes and my asking a few of the right questions to guide his thinking and get buy-in, we were able to restructure the work flows, establish KPIs, and create accountability in his team. The two of them left in awe and shared their experience with others, and it helped me immediately build trust with a new group. Now, I'm probably not nearly as smart they think. However, I at least skimmed everything I signed, and I'd seen a lot of different types of problems by this point. By going back to the team, asking how things operate, pointing out new things I learned from them, and offering feedback, I hope I was able to establish and meet expectations. However, the occasional "wow" factor can really help things along.
Hampton Inn is not the highest-end brand in the hotel segment, but they strive to establish a brand that fulfills customer expectations. However, with the occasional "wow" factor thrown in during downtime, they can push the brand even further. In the "Additional Requests" field on a Hampton Inn online reservation, one guest wrote, "Please place a framed picture of Alfonso Ribeiro on the nightstand." As Hampton says, "We love having you here." Delivered as requested.
I had taken over a new department with about 30 employees. Results were okay, but not great. This was one of the few departments I had taken over that had a somewhat successful manager before my arrival, and I knew that there were misgivings about me. In the country I was working, it was nearly impossible for anyone to read every word of every document that requires a notarized signature from an authorized board member. And it seemed that every document needed a notarized signature. Accordingly, a high volume of paper came across my desk. On my second day in the role, an employee presented a document to sign, and after a five-second glance I pointed out a typo in a single number in the middle of the page. Next, an employee entered asking for help with a problem with his department. I had some familiarity with the problem from previous experiences. After about three minutes and my asking a few of the right questions to guide his thinking and get buy-in, we were able to restructure the work flows, establish KPIs, and create accountability in his team. The two of them left in awe and shared their experience with others, and it helped me immediately build trust with a new group. Now, I'm probably not nearly as smart they think. However, I at least skimmed everything I signed, and I'd seen a lot of different types of problems by this point. By going back to the team, asking how things operate, pointing out new things I learned from them, and offering feedback, I hope I was able to establish and meet expectations. However, the occasional "wow" factor can really help things along.
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