In January 2016, around 120 brand managers of German companies were questioned about their responsibility regarding brand management for the study entitled “German brand report special issue 2016” (“Deutscher Markenreport Spezial 2016”*).
The result comes as no surprise for Nicole Schlegel and her team, as it has turned out that responsibility, credibility and trust shape a good brand image. To achieve this, it is necessary to invest in customer counselling service, service and employee behaviour. According to the interviewed brand experts, this is much more decisive than the products themselves, the company’s website or other public relations approaches. It is the employees who decisively shape the brand image. Hence, Nicole Schlegel aligns many of her clients’ business processes and HR management with EMPLOYEE BRAND MANAGEMENT.
Good employees are brand ambassadors
“Which aspects are how important for the brand image today?” The findings to this question are 20% advertising, 40% design, 68% products as compared to 80% advising. In the age of digitalisation, human beings play an important role, since especially in personal contact with the client, the brand image is shaped and qualitative differences become noticeable. Employees who communicate in a brand-compliant way und act in accordance with the brand, thus acting as brand ambassadors, are extremely effective and valuable for their companies. However, the study notes that the given employee potential often is not adequately exploited and above all not sufficiently promoted to gain a good brand image.
This is how employees become a key to success
In order to tie clients to one’s own company and brand, a lot of effort is required. Rigid formats such as “governance guidelines” are not a good choice here. Employees should have the relevant brand knowledge, build an emotional bond with the brand and identify themselves with the company. This can only be achieved by means of customised training courses as well as a brand claim that is set as an example by superiors and is incorporated into all corporate levels. For these reasons, a working EMPLOYEE BRAND MANAGEMENT is a mandatory part of strategic management duties and leadership competences. Besides well-targeted training, it comprises a correspondingly open and trusting corporate culture.
Nicole Schlegel is offering a variety of programmes developed for management teams and for personnel groups having client contact. One of the core competences is modern service team management that provides life-phase oriented HR development models for occupational groups in the service area as well as strategic positioning of job profiles and jobs as brands. Moreover, Nicole Schlegel develops and promotes brand quality of the service staff within the scope of company-specific Service-Brand-Trainings® courses, so clients can experience not only the products but also the service in brand quality.
Nicole Schlegel’s point of view is that brand-compliant employee behaviour has long been the key success driver of brand management. (See also the practical example “Brand Ambassadors - Training” under results)
* Special issue of the studies issued on an annual basis by the Munich brand consultancy Brandoffice in cooperation with its media partner Absatzwirtschaft.