Customers rarely experience a brand in the campaign. They experience it where they actually deal with the company: in the quotation, on the phone, in the invoice, in the complaint. Processes, the sixth P in the extended marketing mix, turn a promise into an experience – or into a broken one.
Every process is brand communication
How long does it take to answer an enquiry? How clearly is the quote worded? How confidently is a complaint handled? Each of these moments sends a message – whether the company intends it or not. Those who understand processes as brand touchpoints design them deliberately instead of leaving them to chance.
The typical breaking points
- Breaks between channels: Promised online, not kept on the phone.
- Breaks in pace: Fast advertising, slow response to specific enquiries.
- Breaks in language: Brand voice in the campaign, form-letter language on the invoice.
- Breaks when problems arise: Service promises on the outside, bureaucracy when it comes to complaints.
A brand is not judged in the moment when everything runs smoothly – but in the moment when something goes wrong.
From process to journey
Looking at individual procedures falls short. Customers do not experience isolated processes but a connected journey: from first contact through the proposal to long-term support. Those who view this journey as a whole recognise breaks that remain invisible within a single process – and can close them.
Where process design begins
Brand-effective processes are not created in the marketing department alone. They require the interplay of sales, service, administration and leadership. A helpful start: identify the three or four most important customer journeys, walk through them from the customer’s perspective and improve them wherever the brand promise visibly falls short.
Processes are a competitive advantage
Products and prices are quickly copied. Well-rehearsed, on-brand processes are not – they are the result of many small decisions and shared experience. That is precisely why they are one of the most valuable and most underestimated levers in modern marketing.