Prince Brand Service Prescription - Perform Invaluable Deeds

 BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR

A gentle action a kind word a timely deed a reassuring handshake or a comforting smile could be invaluable. Priceless Brand service Prescription is aimed at building customer confidence through small gestures that mean a lot when they are genuine.

It is true that on the surface it seems that a customer is looking for benefits that are either tangible or intangible. But scratch a little and you will find that there are several little things that bind a customer to a brand. They don’t cost anything at all. But they mean the world to the customer.

A little thoughtfulness can go a long way in reassuring a customer. The British Airways hostess did it on a flight and earned the gratitude of a planeful of passengers. Flying Mumbai London, there’s a time when the plane crosses over from darkness to light. If you sleeping with the blind open it can be a pretty rude awakening when the plane leaves the darkness of night in one part of the globe for the bright sunshine in the other half of the world. To prevent discomfort to the passengers the air hostesses do their rounds to ensure that all the blinds are securely pulled down and the sudden bright light does not jolt the passengers awake. This gesture may seem small but to the passengers who are asleep it is invaluable.

An elderly lady was fretful of the day when her husband had to undergo a prostrate operation. Ironically that day was also her fortieth wedding anniversary and as she stood outside the breach Candy Hospital operation theatre, her heart sank at the thought of what might transpire in the five hour operation. She was standing there lonely and woe begone when the doctor arrived. She looked at him and nervously told him that it was her wedding anniversary. Then plucking up her courage, she asked the doctor if he could give her an anniversary gift by curing her husband. The doctor stopped patted her hand and assured her that the operation would be successful. I’ll definitely give you the anniversary present you desire he said your husband will be fine and you both will be able to celebrate many many more anniversaries together.

This gesture on the part of the doctor who in this case is also the Brand Service Professional was priceless because it gave confidence to someone close to the patient who in this case is the customer.

Priceless Brand service demands dedication that is far above and beyond the call of duty. It professes loud and clear that the Brand Service Professional cares deeply for the customer. It brings out emotions that are noble. And it binds the customer to the brand forever making him beholden to the Brand Service Professional for his thoughtfulness.

Like this jet airways airport manager in Delhi who realized that a regular customer would never make it to Mumbai on time if he waited for the Jet airways flight on which he was booked. The occasion was the birthday of the customer’s son and he had promised that he would return on time for the children party. Everything ran according to schedule until of course the jet airways flight had to get delayed. If he had to wait for it he would have landed in Mumbai way past midnight. And since he had to return to Delhi the next morning en route to Guwahati it made little sense to take the jet flight.

That's when the Brand Service Professional stepped in realizing the gravity of the situation, which involved a father word of honour to his son on the momentous occasion of his ninth birthday he suggested something rather unorthodox.

Go back by another airline he said and return by the jet flight the following day.

It made sense. So the Brand Service Professional organized a seat on a Delhi-Mumbai flight of a rival airline and put the customer on the plane with a pleasant see you tomorrow morning.

The father made it for his son birthday party and he was back in Delhi the next morning via a jet airways flight it must be said to pick up his itinerary that look him to the north-east of India. As far as the jet airways Brand Service Professional was concerned he had won the customer over forever by offering a memorable Brand Experience.

That’s what my Priceless Brand Service Prescription is all about. It has little to do with price. It has everything to do with a tender and loving gesture a thoughtful word a little something extra that endears the brand to the customer.

Copyright © 2005, 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.
The author is Jagdeep Kapoor, Brand Guru and Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy.
Tel: (022) 28477700/7701 (022) 28470214/15 Fax:022 28477699
E-mail : jkapoor@samsika.com