They’re wearing a tie – that must be the manager….

Everyone judges by appearance.

No matter how much of a concious effort we make to dissaude our initial reactions, how things look affects our perception of them. This ranges from how your product stands off the shelf to how your employees wear their hair. I’m not advocating that everyone in your organisation wears a shirt and tie everyday – but I would be if looking smart and matching corporate clients dress was one of your organisations priorities .

People may later change their judgement following a first impression, but in the cluttered world of brands, services and organisations can you afford to make a bad impression? Similarly, the reverse is true as well. Do your front line employees judge customers on their appearance? The judgemental impact on how your employees deliver your customer experience could be massive.

Have you included employee appearance policies or referred to your customer’s appearances when planning your customer experience?

On a more personal level, how do you think how you look affects your customers or colleagues perception of you?

We’d love to hear some first hand experience in the comments

 

Dara Chadwick at Psychology Today has written a thought provoking post on Judging on Appearances

Author: Colin Shaw

 

By Colin Shaw | Published: April 12, 2010