A company’s signature experience is what it does especially
well. It’s the odd or unique process that makes your company stand out in
people's minds ( (Read this HBR article). Most companies, in time, always end up providing a signature
experience. They may either not know about it or may know and use them as
foundation to their positioning. Either way it’s something that needs to be
harnessed because in that special moment of delivering something different may
lie the key to attracting and retaining customers.
Companies need to search their organization and look across their
customer delivery structure at possible signatures they are leaving on their
customers. If companies can pick three such experiences and package them and
sell it consistently, they may have a winner on their hands. Linking these experiences
to its brand can help reinforce their brand image. For example it will give more tangibles to customers to associate with the brand promise.
Most successful brands have distinct signature experiences
that they leave behind in a customer’s mind; it is these experiences that are
spoken about to other customers. Bringing together these voices under the banner
of your brand as a signature experience could be your next brand building move.
Tell us about some signature experiences you have come
across with the companies you interact with.
I am tempted to compare this concept of knowing and exploiting a company's signature experience, to knowing one's talent and mastering it. Well, in a company's case it could create a differentiating factor amongst other similar companies and be a long term winning strategy.
ReplyDeleteThere is one catch though! While using signature experiences can create a set of loyal customers who associate or appreciate these experiences, it leaves out an entire audience who don’t associate with it. In other words, companies creating similar experiences to customers may end up having more repeat customers than cater to a larger audience. This may not necessarily be a bad move; it could just be a company’s strategy for all you know!
I agree to the advantage identifying company’s signature experience has on its employees, as mentioned in the HBR article. I would definitely be loyal to a company whose environment matches my values and interests.
I recently visited Oberoi Hotel in Bangalore for a business enquiry. There was a warm welcome with a Namaste. The women were smartly dressed in a saree and a business jacket. The impression they gave was of Indian Hospitality as if it was Oberoi's signature welcome.
ReplyDeleteThe experience of customer caring could have been enhanced if they had made genuine eye contact with the customer instead of looking in to the horizon.