Most of us know the time-worn adage: “The customer is always right.” As a Business-to-Business (B2B) company, you might assume that the “Voice of the Customer” (VoC) isn’t as critical as in a Business-to-Consumer (B2C) context, but you’d be wrong. Listening to the customer’s voice is crucial, especially in increasingly competitive markets. The ability to differentiate service and product offerings is a key success factor in any business, and being fully customer focused is a must.
You may wonder what “being customer-centric” means. Simply, it’s putting your customers first – placing them at the heart of every decision in every department of your company, whether it’s R&D, marketing, production, quality control, logistics, or after-sales support. By doing so, you not only ensure that you meet and exceed your customers’ expectations, but most importantly, you anticipate their future needs – because you understand them even better than they understand themselves.
Focus on your customers, and you’ll know how to bring them targeted products and services that solve their problems. This is what Xerox did when they began to listen to their customers – first they sold photocopiers; then they leased these machines; and finally, Xerox offered a global documentation management system.
Answer these key questions to start thinking “customer first”:
- Who are your customers? Age, experience, income, professional goals, etc.
- What are their customer journeys? What information do they gather prior to purchasing? How do they evaluate, select, purchase and use your product?
- What are their frustrations and expectations? Can you identify their needs at all levels of their purchasing journey?
- How do they perceive you? How do your products and services (your brand) differ from your competitors?
- How digitized are your customers? Can they compete on the technological stage?
FrontierView consultants will help you understand your customers, focus on their needs and reap the long-term rewards. We’ll explain our proven methodologies – persona identification, customer journey analysis, brand assessment, and online focus groups and communities – and help you adopt a critical focus on your customer. To learn more, contact us here.