How brand values connect to your CX

In your customers´shoes

During this past weekend or should I say, past month, our screens have been flooded with Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Black November Specials (Tip for next year, don’t click on the ads, they haunt you!).

But amongst the many, was an ad for a boutique fashion brand, who wrote the following:

We have decided to not take part in Black Friday this year.

The concept of BF does not align with our brand values.

Each of our products is already priced according to it’s value and cost price, and we always aim to give you the best deal possible…..

But we don’t want to leave you with nothing and have a giveaway below...

What stood out most here is that this brand, even though small was willing to be bold and swim against the tide during a time where they could be profiting from the commercial hype around them.

These values encourage accountability for the employees and lay the foundation for customers expectations, together these influence the customers experience and the high bar which customer lay and which brands need to meet.

I also appreciate the authenticity displayed by this brand and the high value they invest in understanding their customers and pricing their products according to the market and product value. By keeping your values visible and authentic it tells the customer so much about the company´s vision and purpose and for sure encourages a sense of loyalty.

The first step to achieving customer success within an organization is to refer to the Brand Values usually found on the website under ‘Who are we’, display them in the various departments, not only those that are customer facing, let it become part of the companies culture. Now ensure that each time an employee interacts with a customer or creates a product with a customer in mind, that these values are filtered through each interaction.

Food for thought: Think of companies you’ve interacted with recently, look up their values, hidden somewhere on their website; did your experience with them align with these values? Interested to hear your thoughts…

Some values from our famous brands:

Virgin Atlantic: 'Keeping our people and our customers safe and secure is at the heart of all we do. We have three core values that our people connect with, as a recipe to supercharge our teams to be the best they can be.

They’re centred on making the right things happen for the right reasons – working for the good of our communities and our planet, creating a culture of respect and trust in the wider world, and providing experiences that make people feel safe, cared for and listened to.'

Nike: ‘To Bring inspiration and Innovation to Every Athlete in the World – If you have a body, you’re an athlete.’

Amazon: ‘Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth's most customer-centric company, Earth's best employer, and Earth's safest place to work.’