A recent piece I wrote discussed how the customer expectation has not changed in 20 years. Your customer wants you to listen – and respond – appropriately and promptly.
Companies know – and have always known – that a customer focused environment is important. So why does it seem so difficult for many companies to keep the focus on the customer?
Market Viewpoint has conducted thousands of mystery shopping and customer feedback studies. We have noted the following three factors in companies where staying customer focused seems to be a battle. And it doesn’t matter what industry you are in.
Where Customer Focused Strategy Fails
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There is no one leader to keep the customer experience strategy in place across all platforms
Typically, we start our conversation about mystery shopping or surveys with either the marketing or operations manager. Then one asks to bring the other into the development of the program. Each manager or team provides input to the mystery shop form development, the scenarios, the frequency of shops, and how they want to view or receive data.
Then, unfortunately, no action is taken when the data is delivered. Each department ‘reads’ the pieces they believe apply to their area of operation or people on their team, but no action plan is made of what needs to be changed companywide.
A named leader needs to oversee the customer experience to facilitate a reaction and positive change within the organization.
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Employees are uncertain whose job it is to satisfy and deliver to the customer
Most employees on the ‘back end’ of the business do not realize how their actions affect the people on the front end. Yes, those who speak to the customer each day have more responsibility in satisfying the customer, yet it can’t be done without everyone being involved in caring about the customer.
Research & development, IT teams, accounting… each must look at their work and understand how it impacts the customer. Successful companies who stay regularly communicate to employees the influence of every person on their customer.
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Managers think a customer-first culture is expensive.
It’s just not true. Most companies who adopt a customer focused strategy are more successful. In fact, Deloitte and Touch claim customer focused companies are 60% more profitable than those who are not.
Take Amazon and Zappos. They have developed customer-centric cultures committed to delivering customer value by focusing everything they do on what the customer wants, not what the corporation needs.
Start Here
If your organization is struggling with a customer focused strategy – start by listening to your customer. Appoint a leader to sit beside the top officers of the company. And communicate to all employees their impact on the customer – and ultimately on the company’s success.
Then follow through to invest in your customer – and your ROI will reflect your efforts.
If you liked this article and want more information how customer feedback surveys or mystery shopping can help you to create extraordinary customer-focused strategies, join the Market Viewpoint community by clicking here.
Do you want more information on how to create a customer-focused environment? Contact us today to schedule a market strategy consultation