As I waited for an answer to my VCR inquiry from a stereo company, recording stated a “customer care” representative would be available shortly. At that moment, I realized it’s finally catching on everywhere. With aging baby boomers, world events and additional pressures in today’s society; it is “customer care” that has evolved in our economy. We have moved from a manufacturing economy to a service economy and are currently leaning towards a “servicecare” economy. As we live in a high tech-high button touch environment, many personal contacts have been decreased making each customer interaction more important than ever to corporate imagery. For example, if you call for computer tech support, representative often makes it a point to address you by first name. If it’s bank credit card company, they may ask “How are you doing today?” This makes customer feel less like a number and more like a human being.

Why PR is a Vital Force

Because it can alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors. Something of profound importance to businesses, non-profits and associations who can sink or swim on how well they employ this crucial dynamic.

Consider this simple blueprint that gets everyone working towards same external audience behaviors insuring that your public relations effort stays focused: people act on their own perception of facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action very people whose behaviors affect organization most, public relations mission is accomplished.

Winners use it to produce results like these: community leaders beginning to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way; prospects starting to do business with you; customers making repeat purchases; membership applications on rise; fresh proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; higher employee retention rates, and even politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of business, non-profit or association communities.

Here’s how they do it.

They start by finding out who among their important outside audiences is behaving in ways that help or hinder achievement of their objectives. Then, they list them according to how severely their behaviors affect their organization.

Next, they take steps to find out precisely HOW most members of that key outside audience perceive their organization. Now, if you don’t have budget to pay for what could be costly professional survey counsel, you and your PR colleagues will have to monitor those perceptions yourself. Actually, they should be quite familiar with perception and behavior matters.

Best way to get that activity under way is to meet with members of that outside audience and ask questions like “Are you familiar with our services or products?” “Have you ever had contact with anyone from our organization? Was it a satisfactory experience?” Be sensitive to negative statements, especially evasive or hesitant replies. And watch carefully for false assumptions, untruths, misconceptions, inaccuracies and potentially damaging rumors. When you find such, they will need to be corrected, as they usually lead to negative behaviors.