Building culture to enhance your customer journey
Your wedding business culture is like your businesses DNA, its deeply embedded in you and your teams’ values, assumptions, behaviours, and attitudes. It’s what makes your wedding business unique.
When aligned with your purpose, strategies and business goals culture can accelerate your growth, improve your team’s engagement, help to reduce risk, and build your brand. However, when it doesn’t align it can cause the foundations of the business to start to crack because of reduced engagement and productivity.
You might be thinking that you don’t have a team or there are only two or three of you so you’re not sure if culture is relevant. I know it can sound a little corporate to define and build your culture but it’s just as important for smaller creative, hospitality and wedding businesses to define their culture and values. I also know you might not currently have a team but culture and values also extend to freelancers and who you choose to align your business with.
Your culture and values need to come through and be reflected in all areas of your wedding business from suppliers to my favourite topic of designing your customer journey. They are reflected in all business communication.
I believe that there are many factors that influence culture, but that at the root of it is the people, how they think and act. Desired behaviours are usually signposted within a business by purpose, vision, values, brand, policies, processes, working environment and how you as a business owner or leader conduct yourself. For your culture to feel authentic there needs to be a seamless alignment between your purpose and values, and what your team experiences.
You can see and feel culture in everything from how decisions are made to processes and policies, language used and behaviour. This is one of the reasons why focusing on building and maintaining your desired culture is so important both internally and externally and a misalignment will be felt negatively by your customers and industry colleagues as well as your team.
Values are intrinsic to every business and each one is unique. The importance of values cannot be underestimated, particularly when it comes to hiring your team. I have a separate blog all about aligning your values, click here to read it.
Image by Becky Harley Creative
Defining your culture
Below is an overview of how I work with my clients to help them define their culture. This is also a key module in my Align Group Training Programme.
Step 1: Lean into your core values
Refer to your CORE VALUES as these are the driving force behind your culture.
Step 2: Consider your mission statement
Your MISSION STATEMENT should give meaning to your core values and infuse your culture with purpose.
Step 3: Reflect on your team
Culture is a living, breathing facet of your company, and it’s largely the result of the people on your team. Take time to reflect on your current team members and your vision for future recruitment.
Aligning with your culture
Alongside creating an aligned team, it is also advisable to review your branding, website, and all touchpoints along the customer journey to make sure they are aligned with your culture. If something sticks out, then it may be time to look at this element and give it a refresh. For example, if a key part of your values and culture is providing a high-touch service, but you use primarily automation to help you streamline your processes you might need to review how you can give added human interaction to ensure this is reflected in the customer journey and service they receive, as well as in the satisfaction your team are getting from their job.
Image by Becky Harley Creative
Teamwork makes the dream work
While teamwork may make the dream work it can also one of the most challenging parts of small business ownership!
I firmly believe that by defining your culture and actively working on aligning all of your actions with it means that you will be able to trust your team to fully represent you and serve even your highest paying clients with as much heart as you would allowing you to step back and work on the business.
One of the ways in which I work with my clients is through curated team training days and my reward and reset team retreat facilitation. These sessions are bespoke to the needs of each business and are all about connection and collaboration to strengthen your culture, ensure team alignment with the business direction and help achieve your vision for the company.
Doing something similar may be the key to helping you and your team take your business to the next level. If you are interested in creating your own alignment day click here to download my cheat sheet.
In summary your culture is your business personality and atmosphere. It is how you work together to support the values, mission, and vision. There is no right or wrong when it comes to defining and It’s whatever is in harmony and compatible with your company values.