Your Brand – An outsiders perspective

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “branding”?

Was it a logo? Funny enough, the first couple search results that popped-up for me in Google were ads for logo design. But your brand is so much more than just a logo, in fact its more than your marketing department. It extends throughout your entire business.

Just this past weekend, I switched from cell phone service provider A to provider B. I had been a loyal customer to provider A for 15 years but was receiving horrible customer service. When I needed support, I was treated poorly as if my 15 years of loyalty was unimportant to them. Provider B’s product was not better than Provider A, and the cost was comparable, but Provider B provided better service and support. So I chose provider B (and even went through the hassle of changing providers).

I am sure you can relate with some purchase you have made too. So when thinking about our own businesses doesn’t it make sense to place more focus on our Customer Service and Support? Especially in the aerospace industry where our products and services require such a technical understanding, years of experience, and special certifications. Our customers don’t want to be left not feeling supported and they need confidence they can rely on us – especially when it comes to safety and human lives.

In my eight years of working for aerospace and defense marketing agencies, I have noticed a few things.

• First – we all agree how important customer service and support is but I seldom see it marketed, or it appears like it is less of a priority compared to talking about how great all of our products are.

• Second – not a lot of companies have departments that are in alignment –  in fact sometimes it seems like more of a competition rather than a team.

Both are a bit mind-boggling when you think about your brand. Your company should be a well-oiled machine and work as a team. Think about it:

• Marketing spends their budget to bring people in the door
• Sales spends their budget converting the people marketing brought in
• Customer Service & Support retains those customers for reoccurring revenue. In addition these established customers are now your brand champions that can help encourage others to buy from you as well, so in a sense, they are an extension of your Sales department.

Think about it from the customer perspective – would they agree you offer them the best support and service?

So, I challenge you to take a step back and evaluate your own company.

• Are your departments aligned? Do they work together as your customer would expect? Or does there seem to be a riff that needs mending? Is it affecting your customers and retention?
• How is your customer support? If it is top-notch, does it get the attention it deserves?