Let us recall Mahatma Gandhi’s quote:
A customer is the most important visitor in our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business, he is part of it.
As we announce our new series on Values, in Connect, we are pleased to start with Customer Centricity. As part of this series, we will bring some exciting facts, interesting insights, and occasionally deeper analysis of the Values, and their importance and relevance.
Customer Centricity refers to putting customer at the core and the heart of everything we do. While we do this, it is equally important to take into consideration the following convictions:
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Customer loyalty must be nurtured: This is through delivering what we promise and what customer wants; only when both strike an equilibrium, will the customer be satisfied and will become loyal
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Customer is the most effective brand ambassador: Forget advertising, stop thinking about BTL and put aside your PR, believe this – a customer is the most effective maker or destroyer of your business. How you please them, win their trust, and mold them to endorse your products and services, as a word of mouth, is your true success
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Customer does not just want more; he wants more for less or same price: This is a human nature and a typical customer trait, where they expect a reward for their loyalty. Think deeper and turn smarter to devise pricing and selling strategy in such a way that they believe they are getting more value for a better price, if not less than what they expect it for
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Customers do not just have choice; they can have compulsions too: Many a time, a customer choice is a compulsion that they think you cannot address. This is a paradox and a self-contradicting situation. If we analyze such situations and act tactically, we will be the most sought-after choice for them.
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Generation does not just change customer’s tastes and preferences, they change customers too: Did we not encounter situations, where, one fine morning, the son turns up in place of his father, and orders an Air Pod instead of regular ear phones that his father always chose to buy. Not only the taste and dynamics have changed, but the customer too has been replaced.
No business thrives or survives without customer being positioned as the central figure, and as the reason why we do the business. Through ages, this belief only got fortified and transformed into a universal practice. The most successful brands across the world have passed through this test and emerged as inspiring figures of customer satisfaction. Where, not just the price and the quality of the products close the deal, but the gratification the customer gets by experiencing your brand does the trick.
On your part, please do this simple and exciting exercise:
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List down companies that you think are role models in customer centricity
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Jot down five stages how customer centricity is transforming
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At MSAF, your / your team’s efforts and achievements in enhancing customer experience
Always remember: Your product builds business, your customer-centricity builds legacy
