The Challenge of Getting Internal Alignment within the Organization with your Brand Promise

by Mauricio Dulón

In my consulting experience, I often ask employees what their organization's brand promise is. The answers are often varied and inconsistent. This lack of clarity reveals a significant challenge: If employees don't understand or agree with the brand promise, their actions - while well-intentioned - will lack focus.

Without alignment, internal efforts become fragmented, making it difficult to meet customer expectations. This dissonance can lead to confusion and dissatisfaction, resulting in a negative customer experience.

Case in point: The fast food restaurant

Imagine a restaurant near your workplace that promises to be the fastest in the area. It doesn't claim to offer the tastiest food or the cheapest prices, but it does focus on speed. Customers come to this restaurant expecting fast service so they can get back to work quickly.

Now suppose that, despite the best of intentions, the chef decides to focus on preparing elaborate, gourmet dishes that are visually stunning but time-consuming. Even though the food is exceptional, the customer's primary expectation of speedy service is not met. The result? Disappointment because the brand promise was not honored.

This scenario underscores the importance of every employee understanding and aligning their actions with the brand promise. When even one part of the team falls short, the customer experience suffers.

For customers to have a positive experience, employees must clearly understand the brand promise - It should be well defined and communicated internally. Align their actions with the promise - Every effort should contribute to delivering on the promise. Similarly, customers must understand the brand promise. When there's alignment between the promise and the customer experience, expectations are met-or exceeded.

The first step in delivering a superior customer experience is to define your brand promise, communicate it effectively within your organization, and then ensure that it is clearly communicated to your customers. This process may seem straightforward, but managing the perceptions of both employees and customers can be challenging. However, achieving this alignment is critical to delivering a great customer experience.

CX Tip: Ask your employees: "What is our brand promise?" Ideally, their answers should be consistent and reflect a common understanding. If the answers vary widely, it's a sign that you need to refine and clarify your brand promise. Focus on internal dissemination and understanding first, then share it externally with your customers.