Partner Program, Usage tips

Partners: 7 Easy tips to master customer centricity

Today’s digital world runs on brand reputation. Yelp reviews, social media interactions and even an absence of social presence can inform an individual of how much a company cares about its customers. Businesses today need to prove their customer-centricity if they’re to win and retain clients. But how can your company get there? We’ve put together seven tips and tricks your organization can use to better align with your customers.

1. Have a clear goal

Improving on customer-centricity means you need to have a goal in mind. Even if it’s as simple as calling your clients on a regular basis. Small actions can have a big impact. It’s important to take the time to set out measurable customer-support goals for your sales team and make sure each goal builds toward your company’s unifying customer-centric philosophy.

2. Know what your customer needs

Yes, your customers need a solution, but they also need a partner capable of providing them with on-demand help. That means solution providers need to invest in their technical and customer support teams. To assist these teams, make sure your organization maintains a list of known customer pain points and clear instructions on how to address them. A well-defined method for managing customer escalation issues also helps you provide your customers with a rapid and accurate resolution.

3. Record and note customer interactions

Capturing customer feedback after they contact your support team is a standard for organizations today. If your organization doesn’t follow up on customers’ experiences, you should start doing so. Obtaining customer feedback should not be limited to simple surveys. Securing and relaying information between departments — say between sales and support teams — can be critical in proactively managing customer expectations and informing customers of updates or potential issues. Here, it would be good practice to tear down data silos so each employee can access necessary data when needed.

4. Listen to employee feedback and act

Actively gaining feedback from employees who regularly interact with customers can help push your customer-centric efforts in the right direction. After all, these employees have first-hand knowledge of what solutions customers are seeking and can provide actionable advice on how to better position the company to address those needs.

5. Bring customers in on development

The era of “big reveals” is over. If your organization is working on a new product or service, consider bringing your longstanding customers into the process. They can provide critical insight and feedback on the project, helping your organization head-off potential headaches during development.

6. Align your customer journey with your brand strategy

Customers should be familiar with your brand. They should also be familiar with how your brand treats customers. When you tie your brand to your customer’s experience, you get an organization that’s known for its customer-centricity, like Apple, Southwest, and Nordstrom.

7. Measure successes and failures

A move toward customer-centricity will have its ups and downs. Record, analyze, and celebrate the successes. A better understanding of what went right could give your organization additional insight into managing other issues. Failures can also be informative. Understanding what went wrong in addressing customer issues could help prevent similar headaches further down the line.

There’s no shortage of opportunities to make customer-friendly moves. Keep an eye out for chances to craft and deploy a smart customer-centric move when you can.