7 Approaches to Build a Customer-Centric Business

Formatting your business to focus on the customer experience is extremely important. A customer-centric business model is key to creating c

Formatting your business to focus on the customer experience is extremely important. The experience you offer to your customers will differentiate you from your competitors and keep your customers coming back time and time again. A customer-centric business model is key to creating customer loyalty.

What is company culture?

 

It is important to understand what company culture is and why it is important to your organization. Organizational culture, or company culture, is key to your business’s success. Company culture is defined by the behavioral norms within a company, including things like company policies, values, behaviors, attitudes, goals and more.

A great way to think about company culture is as the personality of a company. This personality is what defines the work environment and general feeling.

Why is company culture important?

 

Having a good company culture is extremely important to your business and for all supporting teams within it. Having a great business culture can help your company in the following areas:

  • Improves your company’s reputation
  • Lowers turnover rates among staff
  • Attracts more potential employees and job applicants

The #1 reason to switch to a customer-focused strategy

 

Having great customer service and a great customer experience will drive your company’s revenue. Another benefit of this strategy is that it creates a loyal customer base.

A business strategy centered around your customers puts them at the forefront of your business, with your teams working to provide a positive experience for the customer. This creates and builds long-term relationships between your organization and your customers.

This starts by collecting customer feedback, measuring customer metrics and using data to create a strategy that involves the customer. Involving the customer will enhance the customer experience with your business and the product or services you offer.

Our Top 7 Strategies to improve company culture and make it more customer-focused

1. Listen to customer feedback

 

One of the best ways to create a company culture that is focused on the customer is to simply LISTEN. Listen to what your customers have to say, including unhappy customers. This may include using social media, such as Twitter, to enhance customer support. In addition, setting up a customer service team, product team or customer service reps will improve your customer service strategies.

Ask your customers what they think, why they think that way, and act on their responses. Make your customers feel as if they matter and that they are an individual. Remember, their perception of your business matters. You want to use customer service improvement strategies to address any concerns and to truly understand the true customer experience your company provides.

You should be directly asking your customers what they think. Engage them with your business to drive insights about the consumer experience.

2. Involve customers in the solution

 

When addressing problems, make your customers a part of the process. At the end of the day, your business’s purpose is to serve your consumers and address their concerns. Involve them in product design and building experiences, take into account their point-of-view and use their feedback to evaluate what your customers need or want.

This includes making every employee responsible for the experience of the customer. Whether this is through team building or just a shift in the overall vibe of your business, make it known that all teams within the business are responsible for tracking and developing customer service goals to enhance the customer experience. These outcomes and goals should be specific and measurable, helping to refocus the attention of the company directly to the customer.

3. Map the journey your customer takes

 

Mapping the journey a customer takes allows your business to truly understand your customer. Follow each interaction they have with your business and how you may be able to streamline these interactions to make it easier on the customer.

Mapping should be based on research and focus on the perspective of the customer. Use this to see where your business can improve and how well your business is currently meeting the needs of the consumer.

4. Have a customer experience strategy

 

This should be an extension of your brand strategy and set this plan to guide and exceed what your customers expect.

Connect these objectives and plans directly to the culture of your company. Link these specific actions outlined in the plan to actual results.

5. Centralized customer data

 

To change a company’s culture to be more about the consumer, all employees must have an understanding of who your audience is and who your customers are. All employees should have access to insights about your consumers. Many businesses hold this data in silos within the sales and marketing teams. Instead, this data should be easily accessible to all employees.

One of the best ways to do this is to integrate your company’s data so it is easily accessible.

6. The need for customer empathy

 

Understanding your customer is critical to making your company more customer-focused. Empathy is one of those buzzwords that is thrown around a lot, but seldom understood or practiced effectively.

Customer empathy is the ability to understand the emotional needs of your customers and to respond to these complaints appropriately.

Research and understanding your consumer is critical to doing this properly. In addition, it should be outlined in company values. However, these strategies need to go farther than just talking about it. Instead, your employees, especially those in customer support positions, should be researching the people your company serves.

Creating a business persona is a great way to better understand your customer and can be used to humanize them as a person with specific wants and needs.

7. Make your employees feel rewarded and empowered

 

Remember, making these changes to a more customer-centric business model is heavily dependent on the attitudes and actions of your employees. Create recognition programs to empower your employees to make the right decisions to meet the needs of your customers.

Need help implementing these changes?

 

InterOperate can help your team reduce its workload and improve your client experience by integrating software solutions and automating workflows. Contact us to see how today.

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