In a post-recession era, the butler always does it

As the post-recession world still reels from its colossal impact, serving is the new selling and now is the time to go all out on it, says a consumer trend research company.

According to Trendwatching.com: "It has never been more important for companies to turn their brand into a service. Jaded, time-poor, pragmatic consumers yearn for service and care, while the mobile online revolution makes it possible to offer über-relevant services to consumers anywhere, anytime. Basically, if you're going to embrace one big consumer trend this year, please let it be 'brand butlers'."

With pragmatic, convenience-loving consumers enjoying instant access to an ever-growing number of supporting services and tools (both offline and online), the firm says brands urgently need to hone their service skills, focusing on assisting consumers to make the most of their daily lives, versus the old model of selling them a lifestyle if not identity.

And the experts seem to agree. Aneesh Sharma, Brand Strategist, Landor Associates, told Emirates Business: "For sure, serving is the new selling. Complementing products and services through an online offer is done by more and more brands today. Added-value products and services help deliver a holistic brand experience that is greater than the sum of the parts."

Dan Dimmock, Head of Strategy, gsFITCH said: "Brand butling, or commcierge marketing strategy, is a wonderful byproduct of technological advancements, increased accessibility and the power of design. Geek has switched from an anti-social character flaw to residing at the heart of social inclusion – causing intrigue and curiosity, and changing perceptions, and empowering both technophobes and the once unwilling user."

Amit Purohit, Director, Strategic Development, Siroya Collections, distributors of Christopher Road in the UAE, agreed: "Brand butling is definitely a trend that is here to stay. While it adds immense value to the customers as they get more value for money, it also enables firms to think creatively for out of the box ideas."

According to Trendwatching.com, brands need to build a brand butler omnipresence. While many brands now offer at least a few standalone brand butler-esque services, very few brands have an integrated or holistic brand butler strategy in place yet.

So how is the UAE placed as far as brand butling is concerned? Sharma said: "The UAE, with its high broadband penetration and highly connected lifestyle, is no stranger to this phenomenon. Brands such as Emirates and etisalat offer some products, services and offers that are exclusive to the online channel.

"Who would have thought an airline would become a mail-order brand? But it makes sense, doesn't it? You're on a plane, you want to take a break from ICE, you see the Emirates High Street catalogue. But wait, you don't want to carry unnecessary things on your trip. Well, go online the next time you catch a Wi-Fi signal, buy the stuff you saw in the catalog and have it delivered to your house."

Purohit said the recession had not just forced companies to offer more value-added services to their audience, but also made them realise the importance of doing so in the long run. "While most businesses slow down and wait it out, many like us try to find innovative solutions, such as the Christopher Road Concierge service to retain our clients as well as gain the confidence of many more," he said.

In outlining the strategy behind launching the service, he said Christopher Road Concierge would be used proactively to initiate customer dialogue and metrics that are vital for the business, allowing it to identify problems and opportunities and to respond quickly.

He explained: "We as an organisation would be applying customer segmentation beyond demographics and attitudes; we would be employing behavioural segmentation, particularly in understanding the lifecycle of the customer's relationship to Christopher Road Concierge and Siroya Collections.

"Customer dialogue and metrics will allow us to identify multiple opportunities for testing, learning and swarming of resources in almost real-time."

However, according to branding experts, a product is nothing without the right service and brands need to ensure that they help their customers see the value of what is on offer.

Also, they say that for companies already in existence, brand butling may play a part in future brand and marketing strategies, however, business management practice and expertise will continue to help companies survive the aftereffects of the recession.

Sharma said: "We know a product is nothing without the right service proposition around it. The issue at hand is that of perceived value. Helping customers see value, better than the value they see in the competitor's offer, is what the new selling is all about. Indeed, value perception comes from many places, including service, but the approach has to be much broader."

He offered the example of one men's grooming salon in Dubai Media City. On a recent visit, he said, they were running behind schedule and asked me to wait for my appointment. Not only were they apologetic, they offered him a complimentary massage for as long as it took for the barber to get to me.

"Talk about a welcome wait! This small business understands the value their customers put on time, and pull the balance in their favour – surely my 20-minute wait is worth less than a 20-minute massage," said Sharma.

The bottom line is that businesses need to understand what customers see as valuable. Time, free services, insightful information, customisation, a memorable environment? The answer most definitely is not the same for every customer, and obviously varies by business as well. Whereas time might be of greatest value at a hotel check-in, employee product knowledge may be seen as most valuable in a cigar lounge.

"No matter how the landscape changes, brands must stay true to the essence and anchor that defines them," warned gsFITCH's Dimmock. "Jumping on the bandwagon, in an attempt to be the first there, is a sure-fire way to cause confusion, dilution and, as we've already seen in social media, embarrassment. Successful brands will continue to be the smartest and most innovative.

"Brands that choose to frivolously adopt this approach, rather than appropriately embracing technological advancements, and proactively strategising innovation, will quickly find themselves out in the cold."

Why consumers are embracing brand butling

For consumers, time, convenience, control and independence are the new currencies.

This need requires business-to-consumer brands to turn many of their campaigns, if not all interactions, with customers into broader services. In short, a shift from broadcasting to assisting. Relationships with brands are now more down to earth and less reverential. From individualism to eco-concerns to decreased spending power, for consumers, the practical and pragmatic rule.

Yet, in uncertain times, there is also a consumer longing for institutions that truly care, which is more about showing empathy and providing customers with a status fix than being purely practical. This, too, requires brands to master more service-oriented personae.

The current mobile online revolution is shifting these consumer expectations even further into the always-on, instant gratification online arena.

On offer

In the UAE, with a purchase of any Christopher Road watch, customers are entitled to a one-year Christopher Road Concierge service, a one-stop service available across the globe. It offers personal concierge, travel boutique, entertainment services, exquisite hotels, personal shopping, relaxation, life events, corporate concierge and executive relocation.

Turkish mobile networks Vodafone and Turkcell have developed iPhone apps that allow consumers to find a wide variety of venues and services.

Mastercard's ATM Hunter iPhone app allows users to find their nearest ATMs.

Google Labs has developed City Tours that uses Google Maps to offer a variety of walking tours in cities around the world.

In the UK, the Automobile Association's Best of Britain app is designed to help users find local hotels, restaurants and attractions during their trips around the country.

How to achieve omnipresence

- Online butler services:

Apps, whether for the iPhone, BlackBerry or Android devices, offer a quick route to delivering brand butler services. Offering useful, semi-branded content, residing on consumers' online devices is a marriage made in heaven. You do not have to develop everything yourself. You can partner with or acquire, one of the many third-party apps. For example: L'Oreal recently teamed up with Vanity Fair's Hollywood app to offer consumers tools to organise their Oscar night voting pools, as well as offering live results and exclusive Vanity Fair content.

- Offline butler services:

In the real world, brands cannot be everywhere all the time. So offline brand butler services need to be prioritised by utter relevance or surprise. One popular offline brand butler tactic is to establish permanent or pop-up branded spaces and lounges, often tied to a specific event or a location like metro stations and airports, which offer ample opportunity to assist consumers with relevant, on-brand services. Here too, partnering is key.

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