Brand Audits Update x Christine Moody*
For many organisations, customer centric means inviting customers out to lunch occasionally or sending them a bottle of wine at Christmas. While there is nothing wrong with doing these thing, being truly customer centric is a whole lot more and a whole lot harder to incorporate across the organisation. When an organisation puts the customer at the heart of its strategy, it is able to achieve amazing things. There are so many organisations who have done this—eg, Procter & Gamble and Cleveland Clinic—and have increased customer satisfaction as well as increased the number of innovative products and services it offers.
Being customer centric, is an all-of-organisation initiative…
To be truly ‘customer centric’, firstly there has to be a change in mindset around ‘what it means and who is responsible for it”. Being customer centric, is an all-of-organisation initiative—from the CEO to the front line staff—it is not just something that the sales and marketing staff need to implement. For the mindset to change the CEO needs to understand it, see it in action at other leading organisations, and then become the embodiment of it! Only then will it filter down and across the entire organisation.
Here are some articles that dig deeper into the ‘customer centric’ concept:
Fast Company
“In my experience, truly customer-centric CEOs don’t let themselves become abstracted from the delight and frustrations of genuine customer voices. Instead, they listen to those voices—day in and day out. This connection to actual customer commentary provides insight into customer needs that abstract data cannot.”
Forbes
Marketing: Building a customer-centric marketing ecosystem x Daniel Newman
“While most companies today claim to put their customers first, a surprisingly small number are actually doing it right. So, where are they going wrong? The fact is: some businesses are treating customer-centricity as a set of strategies meant solely for the customer-facing units of a business. They often forget that a customized or one-on-one approach is more than just a marketing goal for customer service reps and sales people.”“While most companies today claim to put their customers first, a surprisingly small number are actually doing it right. So, where are they going wrong? The fact is: some businesses are treating customer-centricity as a set of strategies meant solely for the customer-facing units of a business. They often forget that a customized or one-on-one approach is more than just a marketing goal for customer service reps and sales people.”
Inc
“To forge a deeper relationship with your customers, show them how your corporate strategy meshes with theirs. Rather than merely sell solutions, sell them on the idea that you can help them sell to their own customers. Think long-term partnership, rather than short-term sales goals, and you’ll grow as your customers grow.”
*Christine Moody is one of Australia’s leading brand strategists and the founder brand management consultancy, Brand Audits. With more than 30 years’ professional experience, Christine has helped a diverse client base of local and international brands, including Gold Coast City Council, Hilton Hotels, and Wrigleys USA, to develop, protect and achieve brand differentiation.
