BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR

Nothing works better than good word-of-mouth. News of super customer satisfaction spreads like wildfire. The Brand should do everything in his power to give his customers a good Brand Experience and make them approve of his words and deeds. He should leave no stone unturned to win the admiration of his customer.

The ultimate is when the customer becomes the Brand Professional’s salesperson. When Customer Service becomes praiseworthy, that’s just what happens. News of a job well done spreads like fragrance and good Customer Service certainly deserves praise. The word-of-mouth publicity is more effective than crores of rupees spent on advertising.

The names of surgeons who do a terrific job saving the lives of their patients ripple across hospitals and soon the good word-of-mouth of the Brand Experience results in new patients seeking them out.

Similarly, the Telemarketing Executive who listens patiently, is responsive, returns calls and ultimately gets the job done with regularity and through good Brand Experience is praiseworthy.

Praiseworthy Customer Service demands that the Customer Service Professional do a good job constantly. It is not a one-off job that is well done. To be praiseworthy requires constant good effort on the part of the Customer Service Professional.

If Sachin Tendulkar is the Brand Professional, his customers are cricket-crazy audiences. His regular high scores on the field and the entertaining Brand Experience he provides make him the world’s best batsman, a Praiseworthy Customer Service Professional. As a result, he has a formidable fan following and can be relied upon to entertain his customers. No wonder then tens of thousands of Sachin Tendulkar fans throng the stadium when the little master takes the crease to play for his country. And the entire nation watches with bated breath as he faces the enemy attack, with grit, determination and integrity.

Like Sachin, Aamir Khan too is a Praiseworthy Brand Professional. The actor’s string of his hits from Qayamat se Qayamat Tak, Raja Hindustani, Rangeela, Sarfarosh and and Lagaan to Dil Chahta Hai to Taare Zameen Par have endeared him to his customers, the audience, who are his fans responsible for the houseful boards everytime an Aamir Khan Bollywood blockbuster hits the billboard. They cherish the Brand Experience he provides.

If the customer is the patient, the Brand Professional is the doctor.

If the customer is the voter, the Brand Professional is the politician.

If the customer is the student, the Brand Professional is the teacher.

If the customer is the audience, the Brand Professional is the movie star.

If the customer is the spectator, the Brand Professional is the cricketer.

For all the thousands of doctors, politicians, teachers, actors and cricketers, there are but a handful who deliver more often than not and provide consistently good Brand Experiences. Those whose success rates are above average sometimes make it to the praiseworthy category.

From among the thousands of doctors who treat patients, there are the few whose mission it is to cure.

From among the many politicians, there is a minuscule lot that rises to the level of statesmen.

From among the several hundred actors, there are a few stars who make dreams come true and enthrall their audience.

From among the cricketers down the ages, there are a few who can shoulder the responsibility of kindling hope in the hearts of millions of fans.

There are the praiseworthy Brand Professionals. They do their homework. They know what their customers want from them. And they stretch every sinew to deliver. They know the value of the Brand Experiences they deliver being cherished and rising above the ordinary.

The author is Brand Guru Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. Tel: 022 28597700/7701 Fax: 28597699 E-mail: jkapoor@samsika.com

Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved with Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants Pvt. Ltd. No Part of this document may be modified, reproduced, stored, deleted or introduced in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (Electronic, Mechanical, Photocopying, Recording or Otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of the document )