I recently saw a commercial for a carpet cleaning company that advertised ongoing training for their employees. I’m not necessarily looking for a carpet cleaning company, but it got me thinking about the wisdom this company used in leveraging what they do well as part of their marketing plan.
We moved to a new house a few years ago and I looked for a moving company to help us. This was before Angie’s List, so the only way I knew of to gauge the quality of the organization was to ask them about their business practices. The first thing I asked was whether or not they provide training to their employees and if they solicit customer feedback and track customer satisfaction. I was surprised at how differently each company responded to these questions. Ultimately, I chose a company that did both employee training and customer satisfaction surveys. Knowing that employees participated in a structured training program was important to me (because I didn’t want them dropping my stuff) and I knew that if they asked for customer feedback, they probably had a process for dealing with customer issues.
7 Examples of Things Organizations Can Leverage in Advertising
1. Employee skills training
Most people value employee training because it gives them the confidence that the product or service they are purchasing is delivered by a competent worker. Whether it’s a mechanic working on their car or a customer service representative, people want to know that the person taking care of their needs has had the proper training to do so.
2. Criminal Record Check
We all feel vulnerable when someone enters our home or cares for a loved one, so whether your business has service technicians or runs a daycare that takes care of children, let customers know that criminal background checks are done. as part of employee evaluation. process can help alleviate customer concerns. I work with an organization that does background checks on volunteers who help out at a summer camp. Parents find comfort in knowing that the workers caring for their children have been tested.
3. Certifications and Accreditations
Accreditation and certifications verify an organization’s credentials to provide quality products or services. The paying customer is interested in how qualified a business is to meet their needs, so whether an organization hires employees with information technology certifications or is accredited through the Better Business Bureau, the customer cares. This type of credentials is what separates the hobbyists from the professionals.
4. The best places to work
Customers like to interact with happy employees. Organizations that can boast of being nominated for or winning Best Places to Work awards demonstrate credibility with the community and employees.
5.Financial transparency
Nonprofit organizations that rely on donor funding must be financially transparent to maintain credibility with taxpayers. When organizations or individuals donate to a nonprofit, they want to know that the money they are donating is being used for what it was intended to do and is being managed wisely.
6. Satisfied Customers
Customers who buy products or services want to be sure that they will receive what is promised. Requesting, monitoring, and sharing customer satisfaction data can be a very effective recruiting tool. Customers want to know that their needs will be met, their voices will be heard, and their problems will be resolved.
7. Quality data
Consumers want to know that they are buying quality products and services. Using quality data in advertising is a great way to educate consumers. Whether an organization can claim a 0.001% product defect rate, short lead times, or has won the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, quality data can be a great way to sell your product or service.
Our consumer-driven culture increasingly demands transparency in the way organizations are run. Announcing what an organization does well is a great way to attract the educated customer, so you might as well brag about your best practices!
