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Eye Opener

•It’s nice to showcase businesses that surprise me, as a customer, with the cultures they have deliberately created •To begin with, this company has a great website. Somewhere you’d want to spend time if you’re interested in buying specs

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by CHRIS HARRISON

Commentary25 April 2023 - 12:01
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In Summary


•It’s nice to showcase businesses that surprise me, as a customer, with the cultures they have deliberately created

•To begin with, this company has a great website. Somewhere you’d want to spend time if you’re interested in buying specs

Being intentional about shaping your organisational culture is still a fairly new idea.

As with anything novel, a few pioneers lead the way while the vast rump of the business community holds back, waiting until it’s safe to go into the water. Many decades later, organisations that lag behind (in every sense of the word) may wonder whether they should try it.

It’s nice to showcase businesses that surprise me, as a customer, with the cultures they have deliberately created. The latest of these is an optician with 68 branch locations in Kenya.

To begin with, this company has a great website. Somewhere you’d want to spend time if you’re interested in buying specs. They’ve taken the deliberate approach of making what they call ‘eyewear’ look attractive and fashionable because they understand that more people have to wear glasses than want to.

So, they show eyewear of every kind, modelled by attractive people and beautifully photographed. Brands you’d recognise from the wider world of fashion and others - like the Hawaiian brand Maui Jim- that look great and give you a cool story to tell. There are sunglasses, contact lenses and blue blocks to relieve your tired computer eyes. The site is active: there are deals and pop-ups, feeds to social media, and Trustpilot recommendations. So, you're drawn in.

When you visit the branch, it’s beautifully designed with bright, positive colours. You can browse in and walk out again if you wish. Staff are attentive but not pushy. It’s usually busy so you’re surrounded by people who are obviously being well taken care of. There’s no stress; no wondering whether you’ll be served.

Then comes the moment when you hope the culture of the place will kick in and deliver on the expectations that are rising in your heart. Good news: it happens seamlessly. When you’re ready, someone knowledgeable will begin to talk to you about the kind of help you need. All staff members demonstrate a depth of knowledge on products, pricing and process that builds your confidence. Your entry point might be a free eye test, a look you’re hoping to create, or a solution for a niggling eye problem. It’s all grist to their mill.

Before you know it, you’re having a conversation which prompts you to say ‘thank you’ several times over. This means you are really appreciating the experience.

If you decide to buy, you’re guided through options and price points but left to make your own decisions. The process is quick but appears unhurried; the ophthalmic professionals are quietly reassuring. Your order is processed and a delivery date is given - which in my experience they either meet or beat. You’re kept up to date by SMS and, immediately after you collect your purchase, an SMS invites you to say whether you would recommend them, and give one reason why.

Optica is a business which has all the right cultural artefacts in place, plus a distinctive approach to what it does, plus a culture that creates the space for an enjoyable buying experience.

I have four pieces of eyewear from Optica and, to be honest, I’m looking forward to my next visit. At Optica, their culture is their brand.

Chris Harrison leads The Brand Inside.

 

www.thebrandinsideafrica.com

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