Trust-by-Design for Improving Product and Service Quality in a Multi-Branch Company: The Role of Standards, Processes, and Branch Manager Leadership

Abstract

Today, in an ever competitive global and local market, businesses operating multiple branches in a city or even across countries typically face a recurring challenge: service quality differs from branch to branch. While all locations share the same brand, mission, and values, it comes down to the people providing the service on each site. In reality, the written quality standards implemented in a network are often observed in a formal or sporadic rather than consistent manner and, above all, organizations lack transparency in real-time into how their service delivery actually is. Such performance impacts not only one branch, the reputational damage spreads to the brand to be perceived as part of an unreliable service network. In an age of radical information transparency and rapidly changing markets, trust and reputation are economic assets: if you trust a friend, you will not feel you are taking a massive risk, trust decreases the prospect of failure, encourages repeat sales, increases consumer retention, and increases trust in a brand for a time.