A day ago I visited the Trustpilot review site and was stunned by this review heading: “Yet another Parcel Farce.” A brief synopsis of the customer experience: the customer had ordered a product from Made.com and was told of an imminent delivery on a given day, for which their partner had to wait all day, with no delivery completed. Their annoyance was that no update, apology or an explanation was given.
The key phrases in this title are ‘Yet another’ and ‘Parcel Farce.’ From the first phrase it seems the customer has had a similar experience with Parcel force or in this occasion parcel farce. Or has witnessed someone close, experienced a similar fate with the parcel delivery company. The second phrase is a true indication of customer branding- somewhat, a negatively inspired customer branding. We are going to explore the key elements in customer branding- in this occasion, a negatively inspired branding.
A repeat experience could be a confirmation of brand image: When customers have a solitary bad experience from a company, some are quick to conclude that the firm is no good- others are a bit forgiving and are willing to give a second chance. Now when your customers say, “Yet another…” that shows you a repeat experience. They form a picture of your brand based on this, there is so much power in repeat experience. It shows it is not just an accident, freak, twist of fate or a one-off, but a norm within your company, corporate culture and brand tradition.
Negative Experience inspires customer rebranding: Has it ever occurred to you that you chose your branding with positive intentions. Brand names with great examples are: EE (Everything everywhere), Salesforce, HTC (High tech Corporation) and Parcel Force. These are brand names with positive vibes that depict force and global coverage. Now after a bad experience, customers are very quick to rebrand your company name, as the current name has failed to live up to the billing. Hence, you get Parcel Farce in place of Parcel Force and Every nonsense Everywhere (EE) as against Everything Everywhere (EE). The age of customer branding has become ripe- customers are changing brand identities to match their experiences.
Negative rebranding spreads like a wildfire: Imagine if the reviewer had left a positive feedback with a title along the lines of: “Yet another powerful parcel force.” That would not have caught my attention or that of so many online visitors. This is because it is a brand name that is already existing- nothing new with the brand name. Like they say, “negative news spreads faster than a positive one.” Remember it is cheaper to deliver effective customer experience and maintain positive brand image than deliver poor customer service and take a hit to your brand anatomy.
A company’s brand appreciates or depreciates in the minds of the customer: It is believed that a company’s brand is what the customers perceive- not an over reliance on logo, theme, slogan and business identity. I once opined that: A product is what a customer purchases from a company and a brand is the feeling they are left with after consuming the product. Remember your brand should be felt- as it thrives on emotions and perceptions, which are generated through customer experience. With the emergence of web 2.0 and social 2.0, a single customer’s negative experience from your company could infiltrate the online world and lead to a rebranding of your company for the worse.
Customer Branding is the future of branding: There are a lot of works on branding like personal branding, cultural branding and corporate branding. As companies continually seek for ways to improve their brand image- hence, remaining competitive in a challenging business landscape, learning the supreme importance of customer branding is crucial.
The future of branding lies with your customers, not some bespoke marketing agency. Customers are gaining supreme powers to rebrand your company based on the experiences you deliver to them. With the rise and continuous rise of social media, customers have amassed the strategic marketing prowess to rebrand your company- in most cases when you deliver bad service. You could go from Parcel force to Parcel farce (just a change from an ‘o’ to an ‘a’ in force). I will like to state that: The experiences you deliver to your customers are like paint brushes, with which they will paint your brand into. If you want a bright brand image then deliver positive and well-constructed customer experiences. Customer branding is the future, if you think otherwise, your business could become history.
image credit:freefoto.com
I don’t know why this company haven’t been shut down. The government ought to step in here and do something about this company,it’s no wonder they’re known as the clowns of the delivery world. “PARCELFARCE” just sums them up to a T.