Optria

"Badge Value" (or brand value) is a primary focus of all good Marketers.  It is the combination of real and perceived value that often increases our adrenaline when examining a product or service.

Badge value is difficult and expensive to create through advertising alone.  Generally, your existing customers are your best path to achieve badge value.  If you have an offering that meets their needs, deliver it with an exceptional and consistent level of service, and ensure that your image resonates with every interaction, you will generate Badge Value. 

Laura Pasternak writes, in her article Brand Beyond Marketing;

"Despite what many believe, brand isn't about your logo, tagline and glossy brochure. Instead, a strong brand integrates multiple components, all of them necessary, including customer interactions, employee communications, corporate philosophy and advertising/marketing efforts."

Customer interactions with financial institutions are achieved through many touch points: face-to-face conversations in the branch, phone calls in and out of the call center, at the ATM, over your website, your Internet Banking solution, and through periodic correspondence.

There are a variety of approaches and tools that can assist in enhancing the face-to-face and phone call customer interactions.  Some ATM solutions allow for enhanced customer interaction, although this is often limited unless the ATM processing is being serviced in an in-house environment.

Your periodic correspondence is one of the most frequent ways you communicate with your customer.  It is important to present the same level of of interaction through this channel as you do through the others.  With a well presented brand image, targeted value add marketing promotions, community activities and involvement, and customer and employee recognitions, your badge value will grow through your customers. 
 

If your organization is providing a high level of service and a consistent message through every customer interaction, you will achieve a strong Badge Value.