Customer service isn’t all about smiling and being nice. It’s more than that. It’s about going that extra step. Put simply, it’s about being genuine and thoughtful.

When I was on the bus this morning I witnessed the bus driver waiting for an old man to sit down before he drove away. By just waiting an extra few seconds he showed care and respect for his customers. Compare this to what I have experienced many times before where the driver rushes off seemingly more concerned about his schedule than the safety of his passengers.

HOW YOUR STAFF BEHAVE IS A DIRECT REPRESENTATION OF YOUR BRAND.
This morning I was walking to daycare with my daughter in her stroller. As I was about to walk across the pedestrian crossing a  van came down the hill and stopped (like any decent driver should). I waved as I always do to say thank you to the driver for stopping. How he then reacted on the grand scale of things was nothing much, he just nodded his head and waved his hand in acknowledgment; but it made a personal connection between him and me. It wasn’t until the truck pulled away that I saw the BC Hydro logo on the back of the vehicle. Instantly that warm fuzzy feeling I was having was transferred over to their company. This then led me to think that they must do a great job in hiring and training decent people with manners and respect. Again, this transfers more positively to their brand. All of this brand value from a simple head nod and wave of a hand.

The opposite of this example can also leave a brand message but in a negative way. Ever been cut off while driving by a branded corporate car or truck? Or has a driver of such a vehicle ever given you a hand gesture that utilizes just one finger? It boils your blood, and has you relate to that company in a way that is less than positive. You then tell all your friends and colleges about your experience creating even more negative brand association.

Another example was the two cashiers in my local supermarket who talked about how strange and peculiar their previous customer was. They were right, he was a little bizarre, but never talk bad about anyone while you are in front of customers. It left me wondering what they were going to say about me behind my back once I had left the shop. It left me distrusting them, being cautious about what I said and did in front of them.This is not a great way for your customers to relate to your staff and your brand. If you are an employee be conscious that all your actions do leave an impression. Make that extra effort to make it a positive one. If you’re an employer, expect the best from your staff; train them in how to be amazing brand ambassadors and treat them well so they care to make that extra effort.

FROM NEGATIVITY TO DELIGHT
If someone has a negative experience of your brand you have a lot of extra work to do to reverse that experience. If it’s an ongoing complaint from a wider user group you may have to take a look at the bigger picture and make some fundamental changes to your business.

A good example of this is my recent experience with Apple. I downloaded two rental movies from Apple for the first time and when I transferred them over to my iPhone to watch at a later date only one worked.
I wanted to email Apple but remembered how difficult it had been in the past to find an email address on their site. They (like many companies) would rather drive you to A FAQ to see if you can solve it by yourself. This time though it was relatively easy to find their email address which was very refreshing.

I explained my situation and sent off my email not really expecting to hear back from them for several days, if at all. In retrospect this is quite sad that I have experienced such poor service from them in the past that I would be resigned and not expect them to reply. Is this something you would want associated with your brand?

What followed was a refreshing surprise and it really impressed me (and believe me, it takes a lot to impress me). Apple has obviously as a company-wide initiative addressed their customer service problems and have made the interactions personable and easy.

I got the automated response from Apple saying someone will look into this straight away. Within nine hours I had a reply in my inbox from a real person with a real name, one that wasn’t called ‘customer service’. That in itself impressed me. I continued to be delighted as I read the rest of the email. Here is that email with my comments (in Italics) about why their email is so successful:

Dear Matt,

Greetings from iTunes Store Support. My name is Lalchand. (By using first names it set a personal tone and creates a personal connection)

I understand that the movie “Town” that you rented is missing. I can certainly imagine how a situation like this could be disappointing. I can imagine you must be eager to get this taken care of. I am happy to assist. (The best way to defuse any angry person is to ‘recreate’ the situation, letting the person know that you fully understand what happened and that you can relate to how they are feeling).

Matt, I have posted a fresh copy of the movie to your account, please follow these steps to download the items: (Without further ado, they resolved the problem by reposting the movie).

Please reply to this email if you have not received the fresh copy and I will be glad to assist you. (Setting the expectation that they will continue to support me if I still need it is comforting. Also having his personal email address and not a generic customer service contact where you have to explain the same situation all over again to a stranger not familiar with the situation – is great).

Matt, I hope this helps to resolve this for you.  If you have any questions or require further assistance, just reply to the email and let me know. (This extends the hand of support again if I need it and by using my name it suggests that this isn’t a ‘cut and paste’ email).

Thank you for being a valued iTunes Store customer. Have a great day ahead! (An acknowledgment that I am valued makes me feel fuzzy and warm, and after all the content above in this email this type of statement comes across as genuine and not marketing rhetoric).

Sincerely,
Lalchand. iTunes Store Customer Support

Please note: I work from Sunday, Monday, Wednesday- Friday, 11 AM-8 PM CST (This is brilliant, by informing me when he works it is preventing me sending him an email on say Monday night and being frustrated because I didn’t hear back from him on Tuesday).

WHAT YOU CAN DO
The best customer service isn’t complicated, it just takes a little extra thinking and effort from a committed team of staff. Every person (including yourself) that works for your company is an ambassador for your brand. Where can you improve your companies customer service and take it to the next level? What can you do to go beyond your client’s expectations to leave them delighted and eager to share with their community how great a company you are?

Have you ever hung out with people who all belong to a different professional circle than you and they crack ‘industry- specific’ jokes? You can feel clueless and a total ‘div head’ (English slang for a rather slow stupid person) for not getting the joke. In the same way I am also sure we have all been involved in conversations even within our own companies where people are talking about something that we don’t understand. Even though we may never admit it, we have probably played along with the conversation pretending to be in the know, nodding with a sense of confidence backed with extreme fear that we may get caught out.

This is one reason I decided to take the ‘Introduction to Web Development and Design’ course at BCIT. As a designer in my 30’s I was trained and bottle-fed on print design and not web design (the web will never smell as good as a freshly printed ink drenched brochure). My lack of knowledge and understanding for coding and web standards was starting to be a hinderance. Sure I may have nodded my head with understanding as our web guys talked about divs, WC3 and some guy called Zeldman, and as Art Director in a company that focusses on web and print design my knowledge was lacking and it was time to go back to school.

I have a successful career, am married with a kid and I can afford more than just plain pasta for dinner and here I am at 37 being a student again. I know this is all in my head but it was for sure a little bizarre going off to class once a week. I was also concerned before the first class  that I would be the ‘old fart’ in the corner trying to keep up with all the young ‘whipper snappers’. In fact there was a great diversity of people there, from younger people who were just starting their careers; people who were hired by their companies to maintain their corporate website (and needed training) and people like myself.

The course was hard work. It was like learning a new language, something that doesn’t come easily to me. Remembering when to use absolute, float or relative positioning sometimes ‘mashed’ my brain but at the same time the problem solving part of my brain enjoyed figuring-out solutions to why the code I just wrote didn’t do what I had expected (damn those closing tags).

I procrastinated (well actually avoided) taking this course as I had to admit to myself that I was not perfect, or that times had changed and that I needed to ‘catch up’ a little. But I am glad I did. I can now participate fully in conversations, give better strategic direction to my entire team and am able to challenge my web guys and know what I am talking about. I don’t pretend to know everything about web and programming, but investing in this new knowledge has given me new tools and confidence.

One unexpected bonus of being in college for me was receiving a student membership card where I got a killer discount for trendy clothing shops selling 80’s style clothes (that I unfortunately remember wearing the first time I went to college).

In conclusion, I would invite you to ask yourself if there is room for you to improve or to be better in your job. It’s OK to go back to college or seek private one-on-one training when the opportunity arises. Don’t be a ‘div head’ and let your ego or some other reason prevent you from growing in your profession.

It wasn’t just a case of redesigning their image, but creating a new brand that was reflective of the CEOs vision for the company that would be introduced from the core of the company outwards.

Kinetix needed a brand that was rebellious, gutsy and real. The result was a brand essence which eventually became their tagline: Rebel. Ignite. Commit.

Once the brand platform had been created we built the visual look and feel of the brand. We explored grainy and gritty black and white imagery, words that communicated commitment and had an edge of attitude and created a logo mark that is bold, confident with an edge of personality.

The website and iPhone ap had to extend the brand into a digital environment. Ease of use was critical at every stage without loosing the essence of the brand. Strong imagery and words that impact coexist to give people an experience unmatched by their competition.

The new brand was launched with instant success. Everyone from the clients to the staff commented that the new brand was now a clear representation of what the company always was.

Launch website: www.kxme.com
Download Kx Me in the iTunes App Store (US Only)

Project deliverables: Brand creation, identity, website, iphone application
Role: Art director and designer
Design company: Industrial Brand

While they wanted something different than the same mundane marketing and brand than their competition, their audience was not as independent and artsy as we had experienced with District.

Origin is nestled ontop of a mountain, with amazing views and hiking / biking trails. There was no way of avoiding showing images of trees, views and mountain based sports in the design and marketing materials. The question was what style were we going to use to appeal to the audience and be different from other real estate development materials.

We created the tagline View Different which gave context to everything else. We used the photographic style mastered by David Hockney. By overlapping the images we are representing the image from different perspectives, challenging the standard and creating curiosity. These are all qualities of the target audience as well as the lifestyle of living on Burnaby Mountain.

The logo followed the slightly abstract feel of the images representing a leaf and mountain greenery, community and a sense of balance and calm.

The marketing materials and presentation centre used white space to communicate a senses of calm and tranquility coupled with impactful imagery to create curiosity and interest.

Launch website: www.liveorigin.com

Project deliverables: Identity, tagline creation, brochure, floorplans, advertising, presentation centre signage, bill boards, presentation centre interior graphics plus art directed photography
Role: Art director and designer
Design company: Industrial Brand

We started the project with an all day discovery session with ten of their staff. We even had two of their clients present to add their perspective which was extremely valuable. We discussed and analyzed the needs of the new website, the different audiences and what specifically did the site need to do for each. We also explored the ‘look and feel’ of the website, what will the tone of the writing be and the value imagery would play on the site.

The results were a huge step forward. RJC are known for their problem solving and creative solutions so we created a slideshow on the homepage that engaged the user and demonstrated this strength.

One of the major audiences for the website were future employees for RJC as the company really stands behind their commitment to being one of the best companies to work for in Canada. For this reason we showcased their current associates and partners on the homepage. This area also acted as another way to link into the website as non-linear  navigation.

Just like the homepage the projects section utilized large imagery to showcase their spectacular projects. This is great visual ‘eye-candy’ and a great way to engage the viewer and encourage them to explore further.

The recruitment team at RJC required the site to perform a few tasks that would make the process of job applications easier. We added a recruitment section to the site and with some clever backend Drupel, their hr are now able to sort the job applications in a way that streamlines their daily application process.

RJC had a large team who were involved in the approval process for the website. This was not a problem as everyone had an opportunity in the discovery day to contribute and be heard. This made the final approval process simple and without complications. The site has been a huge success and due to the backend content management system and committed marketing team RJC have kept the site relevant by continuing to add rich content every since it’s launch.

Launch website: www.rjc.ca

Project deliverables: Website
Role: Art director and designer
Design company: Industrial Brand

The food is Ocean Wise Forward and also features many organic meats, all locally sourced. They have an extensive saki menu and the beer is fantastic featuring on tap locally brewed Driftwood ale and White Bark ale from Driftwood Brewery(Victoria, BC)

Everything we designed had to reflect and align with the new brand. We choose a modern but elegant rounded typeface for Umi that paired well with the established Hapa typeface. The ‘chop’ was created to add an authentic Japanese feel to the logo. This, balanced with the more modern typefaces, reflects the desired brand of simplicity and sophistication.

We wanted the menus to be subtle. We settled on using just the chop mark elegantly blind embossed placed in the lower right corner of the cover which is a simple and elegant expression of the brand.

We took the same elegant approach to the signage. Rather than making the sign one big logo we used spacing, positioning and size to suggest quality and sophistication without losing any impact that the sign inherently required.

As a result the restaurant is busy and the food is absolutely fantastic.

Launch website: www.hapaumi.com

Project deliverables: Identity, business cards, signage, menus, website
Role: Art director and designer
Design company: Industrial Brand

The client had a large advisory committee involved with the website. Our process enabled people to contribute to the development and implementation of the site. Their input was critical and contributed substantially towards the effectiveness of the website.

The site needed to integrate and link with TalentMatch BC, a web-based job matching tool of pre-screened job-ready candidates. With well designed site architecture and some clever code we were able to synchronize the two websites and their backend databases so that visitors to IEC-BC could now benefit from the TalentMatch BC resource.

Within a few weeks of the website’s launch the World Economic Forum cited the site as an example of Best Practices.

Launch website: www.iecbc.ca

Project deliverables: Website
Role: Art director and designer
Design company: Industrial Brand

Their products boast many cutting edge technology created and trademarked by Phillips Ledalite. They are known for innovation and superior lighting products.

In the past their marketing brochures have consisted of 12-16 pages. With Jump they wanted something different. In a market where their competitors are creating similar looking lighting products their marketing efforts are becoming even more critical in differentiating their product.

Technically The 64 page brochure utilized diecutting, foil stamping and the strong bold confident magenta colour to stand out. The design was sophisticated but bold to reflect the bold lines of the product while retaining  elegance.

The brochure starts with stunning abstract shots of the product, each revealing a unique design or functional element of the fixture. The next section focuses on application. The brochure then finishes with the technical specifications.

The target audience was stunned to receive the brochure and felt it elevated phillips ledalite to the next stage of sophistication. The design of the brochure, the different paper choices and the finishing techniques used all helped their customers connect instantly with the product. Sales have exceeded expectations.

Project deliverables: Brochure design
Role: Art director and designer
Design company: Industrial Brand

After a six hour brand discovery session delving deeply to understanding the core essence of the company and it’s desired future direction…we arrived at the new name and brand for the company.

The name Jump is reflective of the energy management component of the company. It also talks to the leap of faith that many managers take to accept that outside coaching and direction will benefit them. Their brand is that they deliver courage.The desired customer experience is inspiring. This as the core commitment has been incorporated into every touchpoint offering a consistent customer experience time and time again.

The new tagline ‘get comfortable with being uncomfortable’ is reflective of the straight talking coaching style that Jump offer as well as having just the right amount of personality.

The feedback from existing clients has been overwhelmingly positive comments like ‘there you go, now that’s a true representation of the business’. For the owner it has given him the overall business platform that he is proud of and is now invigorated to promote his business with vision and passion.

“Working with Matt was a great journey. A four hour discovery session where he really pushed and prodded to understand me, my business and my clients. He started with a plan and kept us on task and on track while showing his creative flair throughout the process. A very professional and fun experience!” Chris Obst, Owner, Jump Management Coaching

Launch website: jumpmanagementcoaching.com

Project deliverables: Brand creation, tag line creation, identity, business card, website
Role: Designer & strategy
Design company: SamyciaWood

Enough about me. GEC are architects in Calgary. Before the envelope or even the logo was created we worked very closely with the client to create their brand and communication platform.

The client knew the essence of what they were trying to communicate about their company but struggled in saying it in a precise and simple way, one that wasn’t bogged down by rhetoric and architectural speak. A large part of the brand discovery session was spent exploring this, who they were, what made them different and how do they and their clients relate to them. Once we had a solid understanding we created the GEC Way. It is the core of who GEC is for their clients, partnering organizations but more importantly for themselves. It gave an uniform platform that every partner, associate and staff member can build on, all aligning with the same core values and brand story.

As GEC has a talented internal graphic design team, we created branded templated documents for their future use. One of these was their Proposal document. We created a system of layouts to accommodate flexibility of the content, ranging from a page layout of all copy, all imagery or a combination of both.

Local freelance designer Nancy Wu was hired to design the logo. The overlapping letters are a direct representation of the GEC way in a subtle and sophisticated way. The bright colours and lowercase letterforms speak to the personality and passion of the company. This is coupled with the grey uppercase treatment of the word ‘architecture’ which represents their expertise and the seriousness with which they practice their trade.

The stationery is elegant and uses white space to allow the logo to have prominence and impact on the page.

Project deliverables: Identity, stationery, proposal template, mailing label template, signage, website
Role: Art director and designer (Logo designed by freelancer Nancy Wu)
Design company: Industrial Brand