Name badges are a useful tool for many different kinds of business. Some companies use them as a form of security, to ensure that only authorized personnel are allowed into certain parts of the business. Other companies use them to allow customers to identify employees easily. These practical functions are only a part of what name badges are useful for. There are many other side benefits to having a name badge as part of your company uniform.

You can find name badges that will suit any kind of company, from clip-on badges with removable name segments (perfect for companies which employ students and have a relatively high turnover), novelty shaped name badges (good for entertainers and party hosts), and more stylish brushed metal badges which present a more “premium” feel, which are suitable for high-end companies with a strong focus on customer service.

The most obvious benefit to having your employees wear name badges is that it makes providing good customer service easier. When employees are easy to identify, they are more likely to feel accountable for their actions, and even someone who is generally a good employee will subconsciously “go the extra mile” to make customers happy. The customer will feel a better connection with the employee, and should they need to contact that employee again, for any reason, it will be easier to do so.

When used as part of a uniform, name badges improve team morale. It is easier for employees to remember the names of their colleagues (something which can be difficult if people tend to work unusual shifts and see a lot of different people over the course of the week), and the name badge becomes a symbol of “being a part of the team”. This is amplified if the name badge includes the person’s position within the company. With each promotion, the employee can be presented with a new badge as a symbol of their hard work being rewarded.

Retail stores have used name badges for many years, and fast food restaurants use them too. They are less common in higher end restaurants, but it is something that some restaurants use with a lot of success. If you’ve ever dined at a restaurant, and been too embarrassed to ask your waiter to repeat himself when he said “My name is *mumble*, and I will be your server today”, then you will understand how a simple name badge could make life much easier for customers who would like to ask a question, request a wine top-up, or even get the bill delivered a little more quickly.

You may be thinking that security is not an issue that you need to worry about in your office. After all, you don’t have any government secrets, dangerous equipment, or expensive stock. However, you probably do have some nice computers and sensitive data about your customers and suppliers. How would you feel if someone walked in to your office and took a laptop or a memory stick with that information on it?

Social engineering is incredibly common, and would-be attackers go for easy targets, no matter how big or small the company. Are you confident that everyone in the office knows everyone else well enough to say with confidence that “Dave the cleaning man” does not exist? If every employee, from the accountant to the office cleaner, was issued with a name badge, it would make managing security much easier.

Your employees are representatives of your company, and everything that they do while they are on your premises or in your uniform will be noticed. Why not take advantage of that by painting your employees in the most positive light possible.

If your employees currently wear fairly simple “uniforms”, say a suit or smart trousers and a polo shirt, why not add a professional looking name badge to that uniform. Name badges are quite discrete, but most people like to look at them, purely out of curiosity. Each time someone sees a smart looking employee with a neatly polished name badge bearing your company logo, which will reinforce a positive impression of your company in their mind.

Marketing experts love to re-iterate that it takes several exposures to a brand image before that image sinks into a person’s mind, so the more you can expose people to your brand the better.

Name badges are useful in almost any industry, from offices to retail. If you use them properly, they can be a good thing for both employees and customers and Pebble Promotions will gladly help you find the right solution for your business.