The Eyelet.

A few months ago, I was presenting to a group of 30-40 CEOs about branding service and how to form an effective rebranding strategy for a service-based organization. The workshop was about 4 hours long and we took a fairly deep dive into the components of a distinct brand belief system and the process for building an authentic brand. We talked about how, in service organizations, the brand is expressed through people and the importance of the brand in building focus and inspiring people to believe in something greater and more meaningful than themselves.

I was really excited during the session as I saw executives make connections between employee engagement and customer engagement and branding’s role in linking the two. Shortly after the session, however, I was dismayed when one of the participants trapped me in the hallway to tell me his belief that “social media renders branding irrelevant. After all, through social media we can take the message right to our customers where they’re interacting. Surely, branding is no longer important.”

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Recently, American Express won the 2010 Forrester Research Voice of the Customer Award. Companies who win this award are recognized for the way they collect, interpret, and react to customer feedback. Simply, these companies listen. They take it seriously. They make internal changes to create an even better experience and a stronger relationship.

American Express describes this process as “Relationship Care.”

The “Relationship Care” servicing ethos centers on the idea that every customer interaction is not just a transaction but an opportunity to deepen the relationship and drive customer loyalty.

Forrester

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