Brand Persistent Brand Service Prescription Persist; Don't Resist  BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR There are times when customers come up with innovative ideas to side step a company’s policies or rules. A good Brand Service Professional knows that this is not desirable as it would adversely affect other customers. At times like these, a mature Brand Service Professional explains to the customer in a firm but courteous manner why it is not advisable to break the rules and the inconvenience it would cause to other customers. Putting pressure on customers or insisting about certain things in an adamant or even arrogant manner does not help. In fact, this type of insistence from the Brand Service Professional could lead to resistance from customers. Instead of collaboration, there would be an atmosphere of confrontation and this would not be conducive to a smooth relationship and Brand Experience. Instead we are looking at gentle but firm and regular persistence to help achieve customer satisfaction by getting the customer to voluntarily follow the company’s rules or systems. My Persistent Brand Service Prescription does not allow the Brand Service professional to give up. It continues persistently in a non-threatening manner so that the customer can appreciate and understand the organisation’s point of view for his own benefit as well as that of other customers. Some airlines have the practice of upgrading economy class customers to business class or first class. If practiced indiscriminately, business and first class customers would begin feeling cheated. And economy class passengers would feel it their right to be upgraded. One direct outcome of this flouting of company policy is the direct loss of business and first class passengers who begin to feel that they can get the same facilities even if they buy economy class tickets. In a situation like this, it behoves a Brand Service Professional to dissuade the customer by pointing out that the company policy does not allow the Brand Service Professional to upgrade passengers unless the situation demands it. The Brand Service Professional must explain that he is bound to protect the premium-paying passengers and his company’s interests. Economy class passengers who have been spoilt by easy upgradation must be persistently and patiently dealt with. Brand Service Professionals should gently explain to them why, what they want, cannot be done. Another example, again relating to airlines, is the seemingly innocuous practice of leaving baggage unattended at the counter instead of carting it to the duty free shops or even in the toilet. The Brand Service Professional must patiently explain to the customer that the security of other passengers will be compromised if he does that. Since it is not airline policy, he should point out that it is not feasible for passengers to be allowed to keep their baggage unattended while they attend to matters of their own importance, and that baggage left strewn at the counter could be the cause of panic. Even in the aeroplane, when the announcement asking passengers to fasten their seat belts, extinguish their cigarettes, fold their tables and keep their seats upright blares on the public address system, there are always those passengers who disregard the announcement and nonchalantly continue with whatever they are doing. To these passengers the air-hostess or the purser – Brand Service Professionals both – should be persistent but firm. They must explain that not following the instructions of the Captain could prove to be detrimental to themselves and other passengers. On the surface my Persistent Brand Service Prescription may seem like a disservice to customers. But if you look at the bigger picture, you will realise that Persistent Brand Service Prescription protects the very customer who seeks to bypass the rules and policies of the company. And it also is in the interests of other customers and the company. The author is Brand Guru Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. Tel: 022 28477700 / 7701 Fax: 28477699 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.