One of the questions that is imperative to ask–whether the organization is an airline, an airport, an FBO, a maintenance facility (or any other aviation entity for that matter)—is:
“How does the organization’s team view the brand/company?
The team represents the brand to customers with every touch point. It is important that the team all be onboard with the promise of the brand. Do they understand it? Do they believe it? Do they live it in every customer touch point?
A recent news release on a regional airport website announced that the airport was adding new non-stop routes with a new regional carrier. The airport authority announced that they felt extremely fortunate to have attracted this new regional airline with “their brand of customer service”. The airline’s brand promise was quoted as follows: “make our customers happy and have a good time doing this”.
A brand, like trust, takes time to build. There will be situations that occur when the team makes mistakes; and there are always circumstances beyond our control when the customer’s expectations are not met. But if the team believes in the brand promise (like the example above), they will be more proactive in finding solutions to problem situations. Solutions will also come more naturally to a team member that really believes in and supports the organizational brand. It is possible that these solutions, carried out by an avid brand supporting team member, could change a disgruntled customer into a loyal customer.
Many organizations that successfully use service as a branding tool assess and know where their staff/team stands with regard to support of the brand. Training in core skills as well as organization standards, mission and vision (or brand promise) is also very valuable for keeping everyone in the organization on the same page. This will help reinforce that brand promise so that a consistent message goes out to the ever so important external customer.
