"Customer Is King!"

This phrase has been overused within various business circles. People talk a lot about treating customers like kings. However, without having an understanding of what it means especially when it comes to implementation the chances of achieving that level of service will be very limited.

Amazon had the habit of placing an empty chair at the boardroom table to represent the CUSTOMER. They did this because their focus was on coming up with decisions which would not deviate from customer needs and expectations. If they wanted to come up with any product/service, they would turn to the empty chair (customer) to reflect if customers were going to like their new solution. Apart from other various factors, this habit also helped them to grow exponentially. They listened to the customers through user data they collected from their system especially the website. They would determine the journey for each customer who logged into their system e.g. books they searched for, put in their cart and those they finally purchased. This helped them to even predict the types of books customers would want in the near future by simply looking at the trends. Internal customer data combined with direct customer feedback guided their decisions and helped them to be customer-centric.

In the modern day world, customer data is the currency received through either customer interface (Big Data) or market research. Due to technological advancements and the proliferation of superior big data analytics capabilities, companies are utilizing BIG DATA to make important decisions. However, there are certain answers a business would require through much more organized and customized market research. As an experienced Market Researcher, I recommend a Hybrid Approach to the utilization of customer data. A business, especially in my country Zimbabwe, needs both BIG DATA and Market Research Data to have a balanced assessment of customer needs/expectations.

Businesses of all sizes require customer data to be able to make important decisions. There is a general belief that Market Research is expensive and time-consuming but, things have changed due to technological advancement in the Research Industry. Now, you can get market research at very affordable rates and quick turnaround times (even within 2 days).

The bottom line is, for you to be able to serve customers like kings, you must understand their needs/expectations.

Brian Mahuni (CoachBM) is a Senior Market Researcher, Business Advisor & Career Analyst who helped 3,000+ professionals to get meaningful employment & 50+ companies to grow their businesses! Currently running own Business Advisory Firm, BM Consultants. He can be reached on:

Phone: +263 775 450 604 or Email: [email protected]