Corporate uniforms have a bad rep for being boring. And to be honest, a lot of uniforms can be rather "predictable". For those brands looking to switch uniform providers, do something a bit different, and use their uniform to differentiate their brand and communicate what they stand for, then you’ll need to find a partner who is on the same page.
Sometimes, all it takes is to ask the right questions. Studies show there is a direct correlation between provocative inquiry and innovation.
We prepared a list of 5 genius disruptive questions to help you work out if your uniform provider has what it takes to deliver something different, innovative and creative to set your brand apart.
Q: Knowing what you know about our brand, what would you do if you were making the decisions about this uniform program?
This is all about giving permission for fresh thinking and working out how well your uniform provider really knows your brand and business. The first thing your uniform partners should do is get to know your business and understand how the uniform fits into the larger picture. This is a great question to unlock thinking and avoid predictability or expected outcomes. It encourages people to offer ideas that they might have been thinking but didn’t feel they could put forward.
Q: If we had unlimited time and money, what could we do with our uniform to really put our brand on the map?
You’d be surprised at the number of great ideas that are prematurely killed because of limiting beliefs and opinions around financial constraints or time. We’re all prone to it. Asking this question opens up our minds to be more creative. Then the task of reverse engineering a solution to make it happen begins!
Q: What would happen if we did the opposite?
Every brief needs to be challenged, and for adventurous brands this is a great question to pose to your uniform committee. It’s human nature to think in a typically streamlined or linear way. When you challenge people to think the opposite, fresh ideas can often come from this exercise. It’s also a great way of testing the validity of your original idea, by working out why an idea will work, and why it wouldn’t.
Q: What insights did you uncover after talking to our frontline staff?
This question might sound a bit loaded, and I suppose it is. If your uniform provider is redesigning your large-scale uniform program without gaining valuable insights from your workforce – beware! Frontline insights are invaluable, and oftentimes can spark new ideas and suggestions to improve the current design. One way this is done is through a staff uniform survey.
Q: What could we offer as part of this uniform program that no one else offers?
This is all about future-proofing your uniform and thinking of the risks and opportunities. Potential risks might be around copy-cat uniforms, which could inform opportunities for custom uniform development. Apply provocative inquiry to every part of your discussions and let the ideas flow. For example, you might have an idea to add accessories into the mix that are changed out twice a year to keep the uniform fresh and on-trend.
Procuring a new uniform provider goes beyond just asking the standard qualifying questions. Creativity and fresh thinking begins with asking disruptive, transformative, even uncomfortable questions.
As a company, Total Uniform Solutions is working hard to overcome long-held assumptions about what uniforms should look like and how they should work. Not all clients we work with share this perspective, but we encourage you to dig a bit deeper when you are shortlisting uniform providers for your next tender and look for an organisation that is focussed on helping you create real change and truly differentiate your brand.
