Facing the Challenge:
As the economy within some industries,sectors & geographies once again teeters onthe brink of recession, companies are shiftingtheir focus from pruning costs to finding waysto stimulate growth, particularly organicgrowth
Launching new products and services is oneway of generating organic growth, but thisgrowth is short-lived because competitorsalmost immediately mimic innovation, and newproducts and/or services offered
The smartest are now looking to, and learningfrom, their customers by becoming and beingcustomer-centric
Truly extraordinary results can be achieved byaddressing the ‘challenges facing business today’including how to become 'customer-centric'
Any business-led 'transformation' should beinformed & driven by understanding the'customer outcomes' sought
Faster growth, quicker product & servicedevelopment, reduced costs, higher productivityand increased profits can only be achieved byleveraging both your organisational capabilityand human resource talent within your businesswith the wants & needs of your customers
To do so requires that your organisation listen,learn and fully engage with customers -'advocates' and 'terrorist' alike
... only by really 'getting under the skin' of thecustomer can you successfuly plan to get the'customer in the DNA of your organisation, intothe behaviour of your organisation and into thebehaviour of your organisation'
How do you cater tocustomers' ever changingneeds without incurring
debilitating costs?
By building a truly customer-centricorganisation...
Long term 'CustomerSatisfaction' can only be
delivered by understandingthe needs of the customer
Success requires alignment of thebusiness strategy with customer goals
Understand the 'customer environment'...
Do your current Customer Service strategiesdeliver your customer & company goals?What is the level of 'Customer Competence' inyour organisation (in the DNA, processes,behaviour)?How effective is the current Customer Satisfactionstrategy or approach?What are the best practice benchmarks that youwork towards, and what do you measure in termsof Customer Satisfaction?What have you learnt about your successes andyour failures? How have you applied your learningto better serve your customersAre all of your internal change programs alignedwith the Customer Satisfaction strategy?Do you leverage people & technology to improvecustomer satisfaction?Do you adopt modern, forward thinking approachesto implementing necessary solutions?Is your Customer Satisfaction model for deliveryboth proactive and demand driven?Is your 'Customer Satisfaction Change Competence'
The 'Customer Outcomes' sought should be the'driver for business led change'
Focus on achieving changes in organisationculture by ensuring all customer outcome-ledplans drive engagement
Being, and remaining, focused on the customerduring planning is critical if you are to becomean 'Outcome-focus, Customer-driven', trulyCustomer-Centric organisation
Get people in your organisation thinking beyondthe boundaries/silos of their own 'service' areaand keep the customer 'front & centre' in theirthinking to deliver positive results for all
It's often said but seldom practiced - ensure allcommunications are clear, transparent andconsitent about aims, objectives and theimperatives that will make the difference andachieve the impact needed for customers, foryour organisation and for the team
Becoming Customer-Centric means the
customer is & remains'front & centre' at all timesGreat customer experience is made
of multiple interactions
Assess scale of the change needed to deliver...
Getting the 'Customer' intoyour DNA - part of your
culture, behaviour &business processes
How? Through strategic, operational& tactical change
Address the Change Challenges...
Create the 'Vision for your Customers', the valuesrequired for success and the strategy to deliver thevision for your customers
Understand and change the assumptions thatcondition people's responses to leadership and yourgoal of Customer Satisfaction
To make 'Customer Change & Improvement'happen faster and become embedded moreconsistently than your competition can achieve
Focus all parts of your organisation on what deliversthe highest levels of customer satisfaction andensure that you 'do it'
Bridge the skills knowledge and competence gapbetween your vision for your customers anddelivering ever higher levels of customer satisfaction
Establish a 'Sense of Urgency'
Clarify & Share the 'Vision for Customers'
Engage Leadership & teams at all levels
Establish 'Customer-Change' Communications
Involve Stakeholders & front-line leaders in‘Customer-Change’ design/implementation
Enhance 'Customer-Change Capability'
Integrate Customer-Change Project into allother change initiatives
‘Taking Action’ based on Customer feedback
Create ‘Customer-Change Action Teams/Plans’
Communicate what the customer is saying
Drill-Down into 'Customer-Story' for clarity &real understanding
Measure effect/results of ‘Customer-ChangeAction Teams/Plans'
Don't just focus onmeasuring the 'Customer
Experience' based onindividual interactions
Great customer experience is madeof multiple interactions
Becoming Customer-Centric is not easy.Success is not guaranteed. Outcomes can besubstantially enhanced when you:
If you would like to discuss any aspect of this'thought piece' or you would like to explore
how my experience may be of interest to youor your organisation please contact me
T: +44 7782 324500
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/simonrodaway