Our previous blog post centred on Spectraprint’s management and the values they aim to convey through Spectraprint. One of the key components of Spectraprint’s mission and value system is to be a customer-centric business.
But what does this mean, and how can it be translated into business success?
Investopedia defines “customer-centricity” as “a strategy and culture of doing business that focuses on creating the best experience for the customer.”
This can mean different things for various businesses, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll break it down in a general way that can be applied to any business with minor changes.
Customer-Centricity is “for the customer”
The last few words of the definition are possibly the most important, as they capture the essence of customer-centricity. To be customer-centric means that your business revolves around your customer. Everything the business does is with the customer in mind. Forbes notes that “the business should be able to anticipate the wants, needs, and communication preferences of the customer” in the effort to be customer-centric.
The tech industry has been hard at work in developing and refining AI to assist businesses in reaching their goals. One way this is evident is through automations. When you visit a website and submit a contact form or purchase a product, an automated email is sent with your personalised information to thank you for the submission or purchase. These automations aim to initiate a relationship with the customer as it becomes the first communication sent directly to the customer. While this is done to personalise the email and be customer-centric, it can sometimes feel detached and impersonal due to its generic nature. Larger businesses have to resort to this approach because they have millions of customers, making it impossible to send individualised emails every time. However, smaller businesses have the advantage of a smaller customer base, which allows for the building of truly unique and personal relationships. As a result, the business can naturally become customer-centric by understanding the communication preferences through direct interaction.
Customer-Centricity is a “strategy & culture”
For a business to place the customer at the focal point, it’s necessary for this to become a part of the strategy and culture of the business.
Depending on the size of the business, the strategy can be formulated at various functional and management levels, which then trickles down to the rest of the business. To make customer-centricity a part of the strategy, it must begin at the top level of strategy, with the onus lying with the directors or CEOs of the company. Once customer-centricity becomes a part of the top-level strategy, it should then become an integral part of the business culture. When it becomes ingrained in the business culture, it’s experienced in an organic way.
Customer-Centricity “focuses on creating the best experience”
Creating the best experience for customers means there is an emphasis on quality in every brand touchpoint. A brand touchpoint is any engagement, whether physical or digital, that a customer has with your business. This means that whenever your business interacts with an individual, customer-centricity shines through organically. This could manifest in several ways:
Your leadership
Leadership sets the example for employees and customers by keeping the customer in focus.
Your employees
Your employees exemplify the business culture of customer-centricity. They understand what is required of them when working and interacting with customers.
Your product or service
Your product or service is tailor-made for your customers, who appreciate the value and effort put into the work due to the flawless experience they have with your product or service.
Your business’s physical location
Your business premises or store is clean and welcoming, with friendly and helpful employees to assist customers.
Your business website
The website is designed for user-friendliness, ensuring information is easily found, accessed, and understood. The design is clean, and the website is easy to navigate, with mobile compatibility and accessibility for disabled persons.
Ultimately, to be customer-centric, the business needs to develop relationships with customers. This is a guaranteed method to becoming customer-centric. If you have a relationship with the customer, you will come to know certain preferences the customer has, and in time, you may even be able to anticipate the customer’s wants and needs.
Why is this important?
Customer-centricity is crucial as it can be a defining factor in your competitive advantage. There is a well known saying in retail that the customer is always right, but why? Because the customer is the driving factor of their business and it’s their way of placing importance on the customer. Every business has customers, whether the customer is another business or an individual. This means that every business should strive to be customer-centric, as this drives the sales of your business and ultimately influences the success of your business.
Customer-centricity does not mean that the customer is always right, but what it does mean is that the business understands that the customer’s views can greatly impact the brand image of the business, however the power still lies with the business to control the narrative. Ensure that the customer has a positive experience with your brand. Turn customers into advocates for your business.
Key Takeaway
- For a business to be considered customer-centric:
- Foster a relationship with your customer that can evolve.
- Be sensitive to the needs and preferences of your customer.
- Make customer-centricity a part of your strategy to ingrain it in your culture.
- Be open to transparent communication with your customer.
- Resolve any issues with your customer promptly.
- Continuously seek new ways to enhance the customer experience.
Remember:
- Customer-centricity is not customer service.
- Customer-centricity is a mindset shift of the leadership and employees to focus on the enhancement of every aspect in the business process for maximum quality that can be seen and felt by your customers.
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