Jill Sinclair - Public relations specialist, Dueck Auto Group
Maintaining high quality across multiple locations is about understanding your brand and what it represents to people in different demographic areas. Only with a deep comprehension of both will your business have the ability to be consistent and have open communication, which will be key.
If a client comes into one location and receives a certain level of service, he or she will expect the same level from all locations, whether it’s good or bad.
Whether offering a service or product, businesses must always strive to put their best foot forward and have a high standard at all their locations. Procedures should be universally understood by all employees involved to ensure that quality checkpoints are met. That doesn’t mean quality control is a 10-page document that is kept in a file cabinet in the back office. It’s about clear and concise communication of what’s expected from each employee.
Here’s an example of setting a standard of customer service that we have at our vehicle dealerships: having your employees in company uniform, greeting customers as they enter the service bay, offering them a coffee, personally getting them checked in and leading them to the waiting room. If they happen to get service from the brand at another location, they will know what to expect and will be put more at ease.
In the end, people do business with folks they know, like and trust. Do people like your business and what it stands for and the services you provide? The answer should be a clear indicator for your next steps in business.
Matt Parson - Chief operating officer, RED Academy
Whenever you decide to expand into another location, there are three key pillars that should be part of your growth plan to ensure consistency: culture, a shared vision and measurement.
•Culture. Culture is a huge component of RED Academy’s success and the first step in creating success in every location. When your staff are passionate about what they do, you’re setting the company up for positive growth. The hardest part for an entrepreneur is relinquishing control, but this trust is easier to establish when you have people who care about the brand. When hiring, focus less on their hard skills and more on their personality and leadership qualities.
•Shared vision. Create a mission statement that upholds your values and aligns your organization. Whether you have two or 200 locations, everyone needs to know what they’re working toward and feel included.
•Measurement. Data is becoming increasingly accessible to businesses, and using the right systems to gauge how locations are performing will be critical to ensuring consistency. You also need to do the groundwork. Talk to staff, ask customers for feedback and read your reviews on online sites. These will be indicators of what’s working, what needs improvement and which location needs your focus.
Reputation is everything, and consistency is the way to build it. The important thing to remember is to not lose sight of the unique qualities that defined your first location; allow them to serve as your true north as you grow.
Humaira Hamid - Business development manager, Futurpreneur
Most customers patronize a business when they have clear expectations of the brand. If we fail to meet expectations of our brand, we undermine two human psychological needs of our customers: consistency and predictability. Lose these two, and you lose trust.
Here are some fundamental principles to navigate multi-location growth.
•Build a core identity. Make sure your customer walks away with an understanding of your business, whether that it is a feeling of security, awe or satisfaction – make it memorable. Define that core identity of your business around your service or products and build out from there.
•Tie tangible practices in. Use values to outline service practices that can be implemented consistently across multiple locations and mediums.
•Leverage your spread. Given a strong core, the rich perspectives from multiple locations can help you build an emergent company that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Allow your branches to contribute to your continuing evolution as a central identity. Provide channels for feedback and, most importantly, be willing to be flexible and responsive to specific lessons shared “from the ground.” What one sales clerk does as standard practice to deliver exceptional customer service halfway across the country may be a valuable example to follow in all your locations.
For most successful businesses operating multiple locations, it all boils down to clarity, consistency and communication – with space to listen and evolve.
