A Brand is Only as Good as the Company and Staff Behind It
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
A company I do business with just announced a name change. They’re rebranding themselves. Their new name is supposed to better align with their core values, culture, and corporate vision. It’s also intended to dispel some confusion associated with their current name.
I get all that. And I think it’s a mistake. They’re going to lose a lot of momentum and confuse people in the process.
While it’s fun to dream, plan, and think grand thoughts about a new name, it’s more important to serve customers with excellence and provide value for the money they spend with you. Although a brand can help accomplish those things, it can also serve as a distraction.
If you’re thinking about rebranding your call center, here are some things to consider.
What’s in a Name?
One big issue in rebranding is the industry label of call center. Maybe those words are part of your name or at least implied by it. But likely they appear on your website and are part of your promotional materials.
Yet the phrase call center carries negative connotations and bad memories for some people. As a result, some call centers think they need to distance themselves from that label.
Contact center is often suggested as a replacement. Some other quickly-conceived names include customer service facility, customer exchange center, or customer experience gateway.
Other concerns about a name include finding one that better describes what you do now or doesn’t limit you in the future. But will changing your name really accomplish anything?
What’s Behind the Name?
Let’s say you stop referring to yourself as a call center and switch to contact center. After all, you take more than calls, you handle contacts. But what will this affect?
If you continue offering the same types of service, with the same degree of quality, and with the same staff, nothing has changed. Not really.
The reason the label call center holds negative connotations for much of the public is because of the frustrating experiences they’ve had when they interacted with call centers.
If you start calling yourself a contact center—or make any other name change—you run the risk of transferring people’s negative image of your existing brand to your new brand. Before long you’ll need to move away from your new brand for the same reasons.
Instead of looking to rebrand your call center, you might be better off looking to improve the operation behind your brand.
Do Staff Respect and Support Your Name?
Too often I’ve talked with employees in various industries who’ve disrespected their company. They’ve said negative things about their bosses, their resources and tools, and their compensation. After listening to their rant, I don’t want to do business with that company any more.
No amount of rebranding will ever fix that.
Instead of rebranding your call center, maybe it’s best to start with your agents. Are they proud of the work they do and the company they work for? Are they adequately paid? (If you say “yes” and they say “no,” do some research to find out who’s right. Adjust as needed.)
Maybe you need to fix deficiencies in your management structure or operational processes. Perhaps you need to improve agent training, raise expectations, and hold staff accountable for the results. Alternately, you may need to hire a different caliber employee.
The point is to focus on staff, their environment, and the quality of their work before embarking on any rebranding efforts. If you don’t, rebranding will fail to meet expectations, and in a few years you’ll be doing it all over again.
Conclusion
Though rebranding offers excitement and commands attention, don’t pursue it until you’ve addressed the service behind your brand and the staff that provides it.
Read more in Peter Lyle DeHaan’s Healthcare Call Center Essentials, available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of AnswerStat and Medical Call Center News covering the healthcare call center industry. Read his latest book, Sticky Customer Service.