It’s an early morning on the weekend and I am in line to get my coffee. I have already placed my order and now I am waiting for my hot, aroma-rich, delicious coffee to be handed to me. It wasn’t long before it caught my eye. It was the customer promise. The promise that the entire brand stands behind to ensure each and every customer is satisfied, every time. I honestly never saw it before. I knew it existed, because I heard about it. It’s almost like a best-kept secret, but not really.
Starbucks definitely has it right. Not only do they take your order with a smile, talk to you by name, write your name on your cup, but they also “promise” that what they give you will be exactly the way you want it — wow! How in the world can such a massive company with over 20,000 retail stores worldwide make such a promise without losing money and driving their baristas crazy?
It’s called commitment.
Does your company stand behind a commitment to make the customer happy, Every time they purchase? Or, is your promise (if you have one) just a poster on the wall, printed in the employee manual or in the mission statement? Usually the brand promise ends up on a piece of paper, hanging on the wall in a boardroom and it never takes on the living representation of the company. The brand promise should be backed up with training, education and a full-fledged brand promise that has action and responsibility attached to it.
These are difficult questions to answer and an even more challenging one to solve. If you discover that your company is not delivering on your promise. I suggest you start by asking your customers. They are the people who will tell you if you’re doing well or not delivering at all.
Yourbrandexposed.com is designed to look at digital with an eye into the future using a creative, innovative marketing perspective. We’re a consultative and tactical resource for companies looking to leverage the power of digital, social and content marketing strategies.
Scott MacFarland
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Email: Yourbrandexposed@yahoo.com