A "brand image" is so as long as it is constituted in the minds of its current or potential consumers. Specifically, it is installed from the interaction between: the subjectivity of the people and the companies that offer their products and / or services.
According to the positive or negative sign that this "brand image" contains in the consumer's head, people will act and may adopt, keep, discard or abandon it.
So from vital issues such as health insurance, to other products and / or services related to less vital aspects but with a perception of value by the consumer; companies install their place from "the brand image" managing to impose sales and win market to their competitors.
Advertising (graphic, television and currently digital) aims at this and in this way a lot of money is invested in television advertising campaigns - some highly creative - that promise paradise on Earth if they are consumed.
However, there is a very important aspect of brand building in the mind of the consumer that is dramatically neglected by organizations.
This aspect potentially has the germ of the destruction of the reliability necessary for the customer to continue being such, or to begin to be such - also acting in the most expected and effective way -; word of mouth recommendation.
In short, the best advertising that is known. Sure, it can also be the worst.
We refer to the aspect that takes care of customer service in their daily lives. What would be called a customer orientation policy or strategy.
When it comes to seeing in daily practice the - real - operation of these policies, we could stop (for example) on the care provided in call centers; be these own or outsourced.
This important resource that is not fully estimated; it is the - sometimes - unique and daily link with customers, and the one that can deactivate an expensive television campaign in the minds of consumers.
Several studies have been done on the subject.
Among other findings, it was found that the interviewees affirmed that the image they have of a brand can be greatly affected by the treatment they receive in the call center.
It can be improved, increased, or directly disqualified to the limit of acquiring traumatic connotations in the event that a claim that is vital for the client is blocked.
In those cases the reaction will not wait. It ranges from complaints to organizations that are in charge of consumer defense, to letters in the newspapers expressing the anger and disregard that has been the object. Honestly, it is not the best publicity for the image of any brand.
The impact of this vital contact between the company (through its representatives) and the customer is worth noting when considering policies, allocations and budgets. This is what is called "the line of fire." There the space is constituted in which the image is put into play.
It is therefore essential to take into consideration the importance of a good training of these human resources; as well as thinking about the motivation that should be provided for the complex conversational task that they must sustain; where respect, consideration, good treatment and impeccable information play a role when dealing with the main character of any company.
