In most industries, uniforms tend to be pretty boring. This can actually detract from the way your company is perceived overall, not to mention the fact that it can bother employees. Particularly in the service industry, you should care how you and your employees are perceived by your customers.
Style Matters
We live in an increasingly visual age. Items that used to be necessities or even niceties are now fashion statements. Cell phones used to be items that remained in purses and pockets for most of the day. In the past, people didn’t really care what they looked like. Laptops used to be items only purchased out of pure professional necessity. Now, however, many of your customers will spend twice as much to get a computer or phone that looks nice.
If your employee uniforms are boring, and out of style, it can make your business appear to be out of touch. Just as an old billboard, low-quality commercial, or outdated website can deter customers, walking into your store, and seeing uniforms that are out of style can worry your customers.
As we’ve discussed, your customers probably place a lot of emphasis on how they look. If they feel that your business does not care about this, they might feel that there’s another business out there that better understands their needs.
Remember, too, that people buy from those they like and trust, and not necessarily those that can do the best job. Even if you know your industry better than any of your competitors and feel you can better serve the needs of your customers that might not matter to a large portion of your market.
Perception of Quality
There are many brands that have huge profit margins that thrive on this customer perception. You can undoubtedly think of major technology, auto, and clothing brands that make inferior products, but are somehow able to charge exorbitant prices. How are they able to do this? Perception of quality.
Design is a huge part of marketing. As a customer, you’d no doubt feel a lack of confidence in a company that had major spelling or grammatical errors on an information page for one of their products. This is an extreme example, but you’d no doubt feel that the company is not in good hands if they don’t have the budget or expertise to catch these mistakes.
Every aspect of your customer-facing interactions affects how confident they are in you and your product.
Uniforms are just one aspect, but there are many others. Your marketing materials, logo design, and the look of your physical storefront all contribute to the perception of quality that impresses the customer.
Total Image uniforms don’t have to be boring. If it’s time for an update, why not consider options that are a bit more unique, compelling, and stylish.
Every interaction with your customers counts, and although your customers may not consciously see and think about how they feel about your employees’ clothing, it will make an impression on them one way or another.
It might help to take a poll from your customers on the subject of your employee’s uniforms. This can help you determine whether or not it’s time for an update, as well as help you decide which direction to go.