Branded Managed Workwear
In a crowded marketplace, how does your organization stand out from competitors? Is it a strong product or a reputable service? What about what your employees wear? Is it your logo or advertising campaigns? In reality, it’s likely all the above. Together, each of these creates something bigger: your brand.
“A strong brand offers your company a face that potential consumers will recognize when making purchasing decisions, which can convert one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers,” explains a Forbes article.
Simply put, a clear and consistent brand goes a long way in establishing and sustaining relationships with customers. It tells a story of who you are, what you are and why you do it. One of your most powerful assets for your brand is your employees: How they act and what they wear. That’s where branded apparel comes in.
Workwear does more than give your employees something comfortable to wear and protect them from on-the-job hazards. It can raise awareness, connect with customers and attract and retain talented employees.
Not sure how? Let’s take a closer look at six ways workwear can boost your brand.
Reason #1: Make a Good First Impression
It takes seven seconds to form a first impression – good or bad. Professional workwear helps your employees (and business) make a good one.
“Customer-facing staff are ambassadors for your brand. Their interactions with customers help to shape the image and impression they have of your company, its products and its services,” outlines an article in Welp Magazine.
Managed apparel programs allow employees to select preapproved clothing that delivers comfort and allows them to get the job done well. Apparel options could include polo shirts, t-shirts, pants, shorts or even outerwear, featuring a host of wearer-friendly features like convenient pockets that keep items within easy reach and innovative fabrics that help maintain a comfortable body temperature.
It also helps to look for a workwear program that includes laundry service — a laundry service that picks up ready-to-launder garments, hygienically cleans them, and inspects and repairs workwear. That means no missing buttons, no ripped pants and no spills or stains that send the wrong message to your customers.
Reason #2: Build Trust
Repeated encounters with employees who represent your company well can help turn one-time customers into loyal customers. Consistency in those encounters is key – from how your employees answer the phone to how they're dressed.
Training and (you guessed it) branded workwear help take your brand (and business) to the next level. Customers know what to expect when your employees knock on the door or greet them in the store.
Reason #3: Increase Brand Awareness
It may take as few as seven encounters or as many as 30 times for a customer to remember your logo. No matter the number, it’s easy to understand that the more times a customer sees your advertisements, marketing or logo, the more quickly they’ll think of you when they need a business like yours.
Branded workwear helps boost how many times your audience interacts with your brand. That’s in the grocery store, at sporting events and in neighborhoods. Best of all, your employees can answer questions and share the specific benefits your business has to offer.
Reason #4: Improve Performance, Productivity
Hall of Fame athlete Deion Sanders famously said, “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good.” Turns out, that’s true on the playing field and in the working world, too.
Research has shown that workwear can help lead to higher levels of performance. Professional, comfortable clothing also helps improve focus, making your team more productive and happy at work.
Reason #5: Confident, Comfortable Employees are Engaged Employees
Not only does looking and feeling good boost productivity and performance, but it also improves employee engagement. Only 36% of employees are engaged in the workplace (and that’s a big improvement from 2000).
Employers work hard to offer benefits potential employees want, including taking a closer look at workwear. Today’s workwear has come a long way from itchy, hot and uncomfortable work apparel from the past. That includes giving teams:
- Choice. Employees have more freedom to select the workwear they want to wear. They can choose from preselected colors and styles, down to the cut of pants, jean style, sleeve length and even shorts.
- Comfort. Workers don’t want the sweaty, stiff overalls or poorly fitting pants. Today’s employees want options like ComfortFlex Pro™ by Cintas, a fabric that stretches and moves with the wearer.
- Premium brands. Top-performing brands like Carhartt® and Chef Works® are popular across age groups and particularly among millennials. Workwear programs make it easy and more cost-effective to offer the type of brands employees want.
All this helps to support employee satisfaction while building a cohesive appearance. Gone are the days of everyone having to wear the same navy pants and shirt, whether they liked it or not.
Reason #6: Attract Top Talent
A company that’s known for its strong brand and employee engagement will be able to stand out from competitors in a tight job market. Plus, a managed workwear program can help put money back in employees' pockets. Employees don’t have to pay for work clothes, which equals an annual savings of about $2,000.
A managed workwear program also helps give time back to employees: There’s no more scrambling to figure out what to wear each day and no need to catch up on laundry before heading to work. Cintas takes care of all laundering, inspecting and repairing of garments, delivered on your schedule.
Time for a Managed Workwear Program?
When you’re running a business, you can get pulled in many directions. Branded apparel doesn’t need to be one of them.
Managed workwear programs take care of all the details. Employees can choose from preselected, preapproved garments – clothes they want to wear. Inclusive laundering service means apparel is picked up on a schedule that works best for your team. Ready to launder clothing is carefully inspected, thoroughly repaired, hygienically cleaned and returned to you when you need it.
Are you readyTM to build your brand with managed workwear?