It started while I was reading some business articles online and I happened upon this simple statement:
“Everyone knows the recipe for a successful brand includes carefully defining what your business represents and delivering a consistent customer experience every time.”
I instantly found myself doubting that everyone does, in fact, know that. It’s possible that I’m simply a cynical man, and the statement is more accurate than I’m prepared to believe. More likely, I think, is that the author and many exceptional business leaders know it very well, but they are presuming that this knowledge is shared by all of the people associated with their brand. Based largely on our experiences at iCAT, I can say with some certainty that that is simply not what we encounter when we engage many (perhaps most) of the brands in our industry. In fact what we see is that most contractors have employees who are completely disconnected from the idea that they directly impact their company’s brand.
The idea that somebody working in your warehouse doesn’t consider what they do impacting to your brand should be a concern for you, but if you’re part of a network, organization or group brand the situation compounds. The value of your brand isn’t just tied to how you position your company, or how well each member of your staff delivers on your customer experience commitment each time. It is tied to how well each and every operator who shares your brand, and all of their employees, deliver the brand image as well. In recent months this topic has come up on more than one occasion when I’ve been speaking with contractors in the field who share an organizational brand. The general consensus has been that they work to enhance and elevate the brand’s position in their local area of influence and expect others within the organization to be doing the same.
One of the key criteria that stood out for me when I read the statement above was “delivering a consistent customer experience.” The ability to deliver a product or service with the same consistent outcome rests squarely on repeatable processes executed to measurable standards. A challenge for any contractor, and a herculean task of an organization. Practically impossible if the best that a contractor can do is “expect others within the organization to be doing the same.” As daunting as the challenge appears though, it can be overcome. Operational systems, like iCAT in the CLOUD for contents restorers, not only provide an infrastructure that allows contractors to put in place repeatable processes, but they also empower contractors to measure their deliverable and ensure company performance to the highest level. Additionally these systems offer a best practice solution that can be shared within a branded organization, benefiting contractors individually and providing a compounded benefit to the brand itself.
Getting the most out of your brand means ensuring that every influencer is delivering on the recipe for a successful brand. When you achieve that, you will unlock the true power of your brand.
