Minding Your Own Brand

Why can’t they see it ... Continued

Because of their familiarity with the company, an employee’s perception of a customer’s issues may be that the customer is harping on the negative and needs to move on. But for a customer, THEIR ISSUE is not routine and they don’t know the company fixed the process, protocol, etc. Until proven different, that one bad experience five years ago is reality for the customer, even though many of the things the customer recalls as being negative may have been fixed or no longer happens now. Even if their current issue is unrelated, they think “here we go again.” The customer’s perception is based on THEIR past experience which is all that they have to go on. Therefore THEIR experience is REALITY: one bad employee is ALL of the company’s employees and it is not just limited to employees; this goes for product quality, pricing, customer service, support hold times and so on.

So how does perception play into building brand advocacy?
Every time a customer interacts with your company, if you don’t provide and experience which they “perceive” as extraordinary, they will remain passive if you’re lucky. They will stay that way until some other interaction changes their status either up or down.

However, if the interaction doesn’t work for the customer and they expect something you can’t deliver, they will be a detractor. This means they will tell the whole world how bad they perceive you to be.

On the other hand, if your company cultivates a culture which understands customer expectations and perceptions, you can ensure that every customer has an extraordinary experience each and every time they interact with you. Because of this, your company will build passion in your customers and recruit advocates who will tell the world just how extraordinary they perceive you to be.

So if you find yourself saying, “We are such a great company, why can’t our customers see it?” Then ask yourself, “Are we giving customers an experience that they perceive is extraordinary?” If not, then ask “How can we build an organizational culture which understands expectations and provides brand experiences that people will perceive as extraordinary?”

Dave Lubelczyk is the president of IMAGEidentity, LTD which helps organizations achieve success by building advocacy through brand development and organizational development. He can be reached by phone: 508-259-9016 or by e-mail: dave@imageidentity.com.

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