There are five reasons why Apple, Coca Cola, Google, Nike, Cisco, and Mercedes Benz consistently rank amongst the Best Global Brands.
- They anticipate customer requirements and fulfill them
- They have products that are simple and easy to understand
- They are supportive and treat people fairly, ethically, honestly and have transparent policies and terms
- They are easily available to people when needed
- They help people achieve their dreams
And yet a poor experience with customer service or bad communications can leave people with negative feelings about a brand. So it's astonishing that many companies haven't figured this out yet.
Great brands have customer service policies to make life easy and provide help for customers when things go wrong. These brands are trustworthy and supportive because they make customers feel good and offer peace of mind after every interaction. Brands like Amazon and Disney know this and have instilled in their people a way of interacting that goes beyond advocacy. By crafting a culture around "helping others" and being "on the customers side" these brands have become synonymous with delivering a great experience.
The problem with marketing is it's all too easy for companies to slip back into blasting out emails and post packs – burning black holes in consumer mailboxes. But great brands develop more meaningful and contextual communications because they listen to customer needs. These communications are relevant, flexible, helpful, and there when customers most need them. Brands like Zappos have created values like “Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication” to help guide their marketing strategy and ultimately build deeper connections with their customers.
The really good news is that if you focus on providing helpful customer service and meaningful communications your brand can be great too.
