Bob Salas’ recent post on Building a Brand really made me think about how service (or lack thereof) affects brand integrity. Recently, the external fan in my laptop went out. So I went to Best Buy, the place of purchase, for help. After big dollar signs were thrown at me for shipping it to Sony for the replacement of the fan, I realized I’d rather contact Sony directly to order the part. After calling Sony’s customer service line, I was so disappointed with the lack customer service and knowledge that Sony’s brand is, in my eyes, tainted for life.

As the end user, I felt unappreciated. So, in response to Bob’s post, I will not buy Sony again because of this experience.

This in turn made me think about Apple and how it has been able to conquer B2B and B2C strategies alike while keeping its brand intact. Apple’s customer service is pristine, regardless of the channel taken to purchase its products. Apple never loses sight of its end users and their ongoing needs.

Perhaps if Sony had a process to ensure that end users had the support (and service) they needed after buying its product indirectly, I wouldn’t be scheming to get an Apple.

What are you doing to ensure your end users’ experiences are superior to your competitors?

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As the newest Canyonite to join the ranks, during my first Monday morning status meeting, I was reminded of the critical nature of service, more specifically “Customer Service” as it relates to success in the business place.

In his book, The Brand Who Cried Wolf, author Scott Deming describes the differences between branding, marketing and advertising. Within the context of branding, building a successful brand goes way beyond the traditional thinking of creating a memorable tagline or impactful logo. While these are, no doubt, important components to any brand plan, building a successful brand is contingent upon a much deeper emotional experience and connection with the customer. It is achieved when the promise made by marketing communications is delivered to the customer by everyone within the company.

Think of the last time you purchased something that was defective because quality control let one slip by or were endlessly on hold with XYZ’s “dedicated” 1-800 customer service line. How did you feel about the brand then? Did it exceed your expectations or fall short? Would you buy it again?

Everyone within the organization is responsible for “building the brand” or damaging its perception. At whatever point in the cycle that your function touches your product or service you have the ability to make it or break it when you choose to deliver superior customer service .

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