Brand building is indeed a complex endeavour, where the alignment between a brand's promise and its delivery is crucial. The customer experience (CX) is at the heart of this process, serving as the battleground where brands differentiate themselves. Predisposing more customers to be positively biased towards a brand is not just about what is said in communication materials but what is delivered in the interactions with customers via touchpoints available to them, but even more critical in human interactions with frontliners.
A brand’s communication sets very specific expectations if the brand strategy is on point and is easily understood. If a brand is looking to portray ease, how might that be translated in the process and even language of the humans they interact with.
But the connection and translation to how operations activate it in the interactions with customers are still at times a miss. As these synergies strengthen, brands can expect to see a more holistic and impactful realisation of their identity, fostering loyalty and trust among consumers. The journey towards seamless brand experience is ongoing and with each step, companies are learning to better align their operations with the expectations and needs of their customers.
With cultural differences in the APAC region, one might argue that there are underlying expectations where some Southeast Asian countries deliver experience that is more accommodating or even friendlier than others. Some North Asian countries are expected to deliver differentiated experience through more advanced utilisation of technologies in their services. Despite differences, this of course still requires alignment with their brand identities.
Regardless, being “meaningfully different” is important not just for brand messaging but in customer interactions. This predisposition becomes a powerful growth accelerator when supported by robust enablers that facilitate the conversion of interest into action. Consistency, connectivity and optimisation are the pillars upon which a brand can build a strong, evolving customer experience, adapting to changing customer needs and seizing new opportunities in a fluid marketplace.
• Culture: A company's culture is the bedrock of its brand. Yet, it's not uncommon to find a disconnect between the marketing team's vision and the experience team's execution. While one focuses on brand positioning and communication, the other may prioritise operational efficiency, sometimes at the expense of the customer's experience. It's crucial to remember that brand predisposition is also shaped by the customer's interactions with the brand.
• Organisational structure: Vision must be a shared endeavour, and delivering a seamless experience should be everyone's responsibility. Siloed departments with conflicting objectives can create a fragmented customer experience that undermines the brand's promise. Integrating customer experience into every department's objective can help ensure that every interaction a customer has with the brand reinforces their positive perception and trust.
• Congruence of brand and experience differentiation: When there's a lack of alignment across various brand touchpoints, from paid media to direct interactions with frontline staff, the result is often a fragmented and confusing customer experience. Consistency is key. Inconsistent experiences can erode customer trust and damage the brand's reputation. Ensuring that every touchpoint, from advertising to direct interaction, delivers on the brand's promise is crucial. This alignment helps to build a strong, positive brand predisposition, even if traditional loyalty is elusive.
1. Integrated brand strategy: Develop a brand strategy that integrates marketing and operational plans, ensuring that the brand promise is reflected in every customer interaction. This requires close collaboration between all departments to deliver a consistent message and experience. For example, if a brand’s promise is about financial inclusivity – a concept that we see a lot in this sector in Southeast Asian markets in past years – think about the common thread in experience delivery where a customer, no matter the socio-economic standing, can experience that very same promise.
This brings to fore clarity of promise across groups. A clear and concise brand promise is essential for any organisation seeking to establish trust and loyalty among its customers. It serves as a foundational stone that informs all marketing and operational decisions, ensuring that every aspect of the company's activities aligns with what it stands for. When a brand promise is specific and measurable, it not only guides internal teams but also resonates with customers, who can easily understand and connect with the brand's core values and commitments. This clarity helps in setting realistic expectations and provides a benchmark against which the brand's performance can be evaluated, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
2. Customer-centric culture: Foster a culture that places the customer at the heart of all decisions. This involves training and empowering employees at all levels to understand and deliver the brand promise, creating a unified approach to customer service.
Collecting and understanding customer feedback that brings to life the voice of the customer can help. Not incorporating customer feedback and insights into the measurement process can lead to a disconnect between what the company perceives and the actual customer experience.
3. Consistent communication: Maintain consistent communication across all channels. Ensure that the messaging in marketing materials, social media and customer service is coherent and reinforces the brand's values and promises.
4. Feedback loops: Implement robust feedback mechanisms to capture customer insights. Use this data to refine the customer experience and address any discrepancies between the brand promise and the customer's reality. Monitor and measure experience delivery by:
• Regularly gathering and analysing customer feedback to assess their perception of your brand and whether their experiences align with what you've promised.
• Conducting brand tracking studies to monitor changes in customer perceptions over time, which can indicate the strength of your brand promise.
• Utilising NPS surveys to measure customer loyalty and the likelihood of them recommending your brand to others, reflecting the trust and value they associate with your brand.
• Reviewing sales data to identify patterns and correlations with brand promise initiatives, providing insights into their effectiveness.
5. Experience design: Design customer experiences that not only meet but exceed expectations. This involves mapping out the customer journey and identifying key touchpoints where the brand promise can be reinforced.
Do not neglect emotional connections delivered by experience. The emotional impact of a brand promise is often harder to quantify than sales figures but it's crucial for understanding long-term customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Design processes and policies from the customer's perspective. Use customer feedback to refine these processes and make sure they are flexible enough to adapt to changing customer needs and expectations.
6. Leadership commitment: Secure commitment from leadership to prioritise the customer experience. Leaders should set the tone for a customer-focused approach and allocate resources to support experience initiatives. Failure to align with business goals often results in the disconnected delivery of experience. If the brand promise isn't directly tied to business objectives, measuring its effectiveness can become an exercise in futility.
7. Agile adaptation: Be prepared to adapt quickly to customer needs and market changes. An agile approach allows companies to respond to feedback and adjust their strategies to ensure alignment with the brand promise. The market and customer expectations are always evolving. Relying on outdated measurement methods can result in a failure to capture the current effectiveness of a brand promise.
Eva Claravall
Business Unit Head, Client Partner PH and CX Commercial Director APAC, Kantar
A brand’s communication sets very specific expectations if the brand strategy is on point and is easily understood. If a brand is looking to portray ease, how might that be translated in the process and even language of the humans they interact with.
CX is more than just customer service
In the APAC region where I sit, CX is oftentimes associated only with customer service but it goes well beyond that. It is only in recent years that we have observed companies, specifically companies in the service sectors like telcos and financial institutions in APAC, organise teams to focus solely on the experience of the customer, with consciousness and efforts around building customer journeys guided by customer interactions that are most meaningful to customers. While this is good, the synergies with marketing teams, the more known divisions for brand building, still need some attention where the overall brand strategy and vision come from.But the connection and translation to how operations activate it in the interactions with customers are still at times a miss. As these synergies strengthen, brands can expect to see a more holistic and impactful realisation of their identity, fostering loyalty and trust among consumers. The journey towards seamless brand experience is ongoing and with each step, companies are learning to better align their operations with the expectations and needs of their customers.
With cultural differences in the APAC region, one might argue that there are underlying expectations where some Southeast Asian countries deliver experience that is more accommodating or even friendlier than others. Some North Asian countries are expected to deliver differentiated experience through more advanced utilisation of technologies in their services. Despite differences, this of course still requires alignment with their brand identities.
Regardless, being “meaningfully different” is important not just for brand messaging but in customer interactions. This predisposition becomes a powerful growth accelerator when supported by robust enablers that facilitate the conversion of interest into action. Consistency, connectivity and optimisation are the pillars upon which a brand can build a strong, evolving customer experience, adapting to changing customer needs and seizing new opportunities in a fluid marketplace.
Key barriers to aligning a customer experience
Reflecting on my years of experience across various industries, including telecommunications, financial services and quick service restaurants, I've identified three key barriers that often prevent brands from aligning their promise with the customer's experience:• Culture: A company's culture is the bedrock of its brand. Yet, it's not uncommon to find a disconnect between the marketing team's vision and the experience team's execution. While one focuses on brand positioning and communication, the other may prioritise operational efficiency, sometimes at the expense of the customer's experience. It's crucial to remember that brand predisposition is also shaped by the customer's interactions with the brand.
• Organisational structure: Vision must be a shared endeavour, and delivering a seamless experience should be everyone's responsibility. Siloed departments with conflicting objectives can create a fragmented customer experience that undermines the brand's promise. Integrating customer experience into every department's objective can help ensure that every interaction a customer has with the brand reinforces their positive perception and trust.
• Congruence of brand and experience differentiation: When there's a lack of alignment across various brand touchpoints, from paid media to direct interactions with frontline staff, the result is often a fragmented and confusing customer experience. Consistency is key. Inconsistent experiences can erode customer trust and damage the brand's reputation. Ensuring that every touchpoint, from advertising to direct interaction, delivers on the brand's promise is crucial. This alignment helps to build a strong, positive brand predisposition, even if traditional loyalty is elusive.
How to address the gap
Overcoming these barriers requires a holistic approach to brand building, where every member of the organisation understands and embodies the brand's values and promises. It's about creating a culture that prioritises the customer experience as much as any other business objective. Here are some strategies that can help companies align their promise with the actual customer experience, thereby creating lasting and meaningful relationships with customers.1. Integrated brand strategy: Develop a brand strategy that integrates marketing and operational plans, ensuring that the brand promise is reflected in every customer interaction. This requires close collaboration between all departments to deliver a consistent message and experience. For example, if a brand’s promise is about financial inclusivity – a concept that we see a lot in this sector in Southeast Asian markets in past years – think about the common thread in experience delivery where a customer, no matter the socio-economic standing, can experience that very same promise.
This brings to fore clarity of promise across groups. A clear and concise brand promise is essential for any organisation seeking to establish trust and loyalty among its customers. It serves as a foundational stone that informs all marketing and operational decisions, ensuring that every aspect of the company's activities aligns with what it stands for. When a brand promise is specific and measurable, it not only guides internal teams but also resonates with customers, who can easily understand and connect with the brand's core values and commitments. This clarity helps in setting realistic expectations and provides a benchmark against which the brand's performance can be evaluated, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
2. Customer-centric culture: Foster a culture that places the customer at the heart of all decisions. This involves training and empowering employees at all levels to understand and deliver the brand promise, creating a unified approach to customer service.
Collecting and understanding customer feedback that brings to life the voice of the customer can help. Not incorporating customer feedback and insights into the measurement process can lead to a disconnect between what the company perceives and the actual customer experience.
3. Consistent communication: Maintain consistent communication across all channels. Ensure that the messaging in marketing materials, social media and customer service is coherent and reinforces the brand's values and promises.
4. Feedback loops: Implement robust feedback mechanisms to capture customer insights. Use this data to refine the customer experience and address any discrepancies between the brand promise and the customer's reality. Monitor and measure experience delivery by:
• Regularly gathering and analysing customer feedback to assess their perception of your brand and whether their experiences align with what you've promised.
• Conducting brand tracking studies to monitor changes in customer perceptions over time, which can indicate the strength of your brand promise.
• Utilising NPS surveys to measure customer loyalty and the likelihood of them recommending your brand to others, reflecting the trust and value they associate with your brand.
• Reviewing sales data to identify patterns and correlations with brand promise initiatives, providing insights into their effectiveness.
5. Experience design: Design customer experiences that not only meet but exceed expectations. This involves mapping out the customer journey and identifying key touchpoints where the brand promise can be reinforced.
Do not neglect emotional connections delivered by experience. The emotional impact of a brand promise is often harder to quantify than sales figures but it's crucial for understanding long-term customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Design processes and policies from the customer's perspective. Use customer feedback to refine these processes and make sure they are flexible enough to adapt to changing customer needs and expectations.
6. Leadership commitment: Secure commitment from leadership to prioritise the customer experience. Leaders should set the tone for a customer-focused approach and allocate resources to support experience initiatives. Failure to align with business goals often results in the disconnected delivery of experience. If the brand promise isn't directly tied to business objectives, measuring its effectiveness can become an exercise in futility.
7. Agile adaptation: Be prepared to adapt quickly to customer needs and market changes. An agile approach allows companies to respond to feedback and adjust their strategies to ensure alignment with the brand promise. The market and customer expectations are always evolving. Relying on outdated measurement methods can result in a failure to capture the current effectiveness of a brand promise.
Conclusion
By implementing these measures, companies can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of their brand promise, allowing them to make informed decisions to enhance their brand strategy and customer experience.Eva Claravall
Business Unit Head, Client Partner PH and CX Commercial Director APAC, Kantar