What professionalism means for brands today

The airport is a rush, and the baggage scans the usual chaos of phones, gadgets and backpacks stuffed to the hilt. Behind the counter, there are coconuts removed from the ardent religious Indian’s bags, who was hoping, somehow, to take the deity’s blessings home. Outside, there’s a constant drizzle and skies are grey, possibly the reason for our delayed boarding. Despite all of this, my Indigo flight takes off exactly on time and lands, bang on estimated arrival time.

Timeliness and efficiency go hand in hand for brands on the move. With increased online experiences, and fewer visits to stores and malls than before, the impatience to get the goods fast is in every gene. Seamless partnerships, end-to-end performance and above average delivery have become the order of the day. A commitment to high ideals makes Tata stand apart. The over-150 year-old multinational is renowned for its values of Integrity, Responsibility, Excellence, Pioneering and Unity to better the quality of life of people it serves. Today, we expect high quality from every brand experience. Let’s look at what most forward-thinking brands are doing to stay on top of their game.

Democratic evaluation is key

Get off a flight and step into a pre-booked taxi to reach your destination. Grab your take away from the Swiggy delivery guy, or get your carton delivered by the Amazon drop-off. Any which way, you’ll get a message on your phone asking you to rate their performance. Companies aren’t waiting on hope, and they are constantly on the move to figure out what they’re doing wrong and right. This not only helps organisations to keep upgrading and stay with the times, it also helps in customer retention.

Customers feel validated when you show your care and concern to understand their woes. In fact, even if there’s a slip up, if the customer feels they have been heard, they are happy to give the brand a second chance. Brands such as Uber analyse and evaluate their brand experience and customer pain points at every touch point and eliminate them one by one. Enabling ratings for both users and drivers, ensures they meet both client and partner expectations.

‘Simply’ delight your customers

In the absence of a human face, it is imperative that brands make the process of using their sites and apps very direct and inclusive to a wide audience with simplicity, ease-of-use and accessibility. Finding what you want and getting a fit to your requirements should be easy. It’s now possible to start, pause, and resume playback of any high-quality content at your convenience and completely skip the commercials on streaming services. It’s no wonder then that according to a survey by Siegel+Gale, Netflix was called the simplest brand in the world. Interestingly, the survey did not specify the attribute ‘simple’ but left it to the user’s interpretation. Respondents mentioned qualities such as transparency, honesty and ease of use, as key factors.

Another sector which is leading its way in simplicity and ease is the fintech sector and the neo-banks. They create an overall smooth and easy onboarding experience for their new customer, making it easier for anyone to switch to digital payment mode. The combination of a personalised approach with 24-hour support and seamless navigation make them winners in the customer experience battle.

Good brands are faithful companions

There’s no telling when things can go wrong. It can be from the user standpoint, or a genuine slip-up by the service or organisation. An attitude of genuine concern and a humane touch is especially important as most transactions are via technology. Once I place my Swiggy order, I get notifications at every point, letting me know when the restaurant got my request, when the delivery man has picked it up; and then, he is tracked along the route to the destination. There are also situations when customers desire more information, or may need to feel convinced about their purchase. When Swiggy introduced Genie, their delivery pick up service, they put up detailed instructions on the app telling the user what exactly it will do. With lines such as “Keep calm and let Genie do your kaam” Swiggy reduces anxiety and frustration, emotions that are part and parcel of our tech-ridden world.

Uber got rid of the agonising wait and the uncertainties of the whereabouts of the cab: You know exactly where your cab ride is and which route he is taking to reach you. In this age of AI, it becomes imperative for interactions with our devices to be superlative. We look at the bot or the chat box as a companion which will take us through unfamiliar terrain. All of this requires well-designed apps for navigation, keeping the customer informed every step of the way, and positioning the customer accurately for a smooth interaction.