Building a Customer Centric Organization
To us, a customer centric culture is simply one that puts your customers and their needs at the center of your organization. Companies that put the customer at the heart of their organization by being customer centric experience an increase in customer lifetime value and a reduction in churn.
Becoming a customer centric organization takes time, but the most important thing is to get started.
A customer-centric company is more than one that simply offers good service. It means offering a great experience from the awareness stage, through the purchasing process and eventually through the post-purchase stage. It is a strategy that is based on putting the customer first, and at the core of your business through all the touch points.
Some of the best practices that stand out regarding customer-centricity are:
- Brands that are dedicated to customer centricity are passionate, and believe the customer comes first. They know that without the customer, they cannot succeed (rightly so) They strive to see the world through the customer’s eyes. Employees inside customer-centric organizations understand their customers and what they want. Customer centric organizations also invest in systems and tools to capture customer insights from their customer data and share this across the organization.
- Brands that are committed to customer centricity develop services and products that are focused on what the customer wants.
- Brands that are committed to customer centricity focus on building relationships designed to maximize the customer’s experience in the company.
- Brands that are committed to customer centricity analyze, plan and implement a well formulated customer strategy that focuses on creating and retaining profitable and loyal customers.
Some of the biggest hinderances towards building a customer-centric culture are;
- Weak communication channels between executive, mid-level, and frontline staff
- Organizational/ departmental silos that hinder communication, shared goals and prohibit linking of data to create a fuller picture of customers
- Lack of empowerment among employees. This hinders them from making decisions that boost customer satisfaction and improved strategies
What stands out is that common challenges are largely attributed to organizational barriers. Internal barriers lead to behaviors that detract from a customer-centric culture. Leadership must be purposeful and intentional in its customer-centric vision and create a clear path forward. True leadership is about walking the talk of customer centricity and leading the way for the rest of the organization to follow.
