Being customer-oriented is the mantra of all brands today: to understand their needs, to know if they are satisfied, to get them to recommend us.
This is the key to business success, as customers have "superpowers" and many options to choose from.
To become a champion of "customer centric"The list of tasks is long, but often what is important is the attitude and culture of the organization, and this can be seen in the day-to-day details.
Today I propose a simple "customer orientation test" based on nine situations. In each one we should ask ourselves: Is this happening in my organization?
There they go...
- We listen to customer complaints and comments, but when it comes to acting on them there is no clear procedure.
- In the case of an angry customer, to whom we have failed, it is normal to think "my work was well done, it was another department that screwed up" and remain calm.
- Products and services are distributed through the channels we know and are most convenient to manage, not necessarily those preferred by customers.
- The service or opening hours of the shops are more conditioned by the needs of the employees than by the preferences of the customers.
- Employees are not customers of the brand's products and services, they prefer those of competitors.
- Employees in contact with the customer (sales, customer service) are the lastto know about the "customer relationship improvement plans", they are not involved beforehand "lest they become vindictive...".
- Management's attitude to cases of service quality laxity is more oriented towards maintaining "internal peace" than towards providing good service.
- Management and managers are not used to dealing with clients, preferring reports that give them a "strategic view, without getting involved in individual cases".
- When asked the simple question ofwhy a customer should choose your brand over the competition, the answers we hear are not convincing.
If you have seen your organization portrayed in these situations, then there is still a long way to go to improve your customer orientation. If, on the other hand, they sound strange to you, congratulations! ... "absorbent cotton doesn't cheat".
But don't panic: many have managed to turn the tide through leadership, commitment and hard work. The first thing is to be clear about the things we need to change and take steps to change them.
How did you see yourself, are there any other points to add to the "cotton test"?
