How to Create a Customer-Focused Company
Many years ago I had the opportunity to sit around a small table in a hotel room discussing customer service with several of the leading service gurus in the country. It was an amazing experience. One that I obviously have not forgotten.
With me in the room were John Humphrey, chairman and CEO of The Forum Corporation; Don Munson, executive vice president of Lennox Industries; Craig Johnson, president of Frito Lay; Bob Oatley, executive vice president of American Airlines; and P.J. Boatwright, editor of Fortune Magazine.
Our two-hour exchange was free-flowing and intense. The discussion revolved around a premise espoused by Peter Drucker, who declared, “There is only one valid definition of a business purpose — to create a customer.”
We agreed that those companies that truly are customer focused are those who align their organization and employees in a manner that leads to a predictable positive experience for their customers. Customer focused companies ensure their main objective is to provide their customers with experiences over time that lead customers to view the company as the supplier of choice. Successful companies are those who build customer loyal by consistently delivering on their promises in order to create customer confidence and trust in the company’s products and services.
During our discussion we outlined three essential organizational ingredients that should be at the heart of every customer service effort.
Build Relationships Between Your Company and Your Customers
- Avoid the downward spiral that follows complacency with your current success.
- Work at retaining existing customers and developing new ones.
- Find numerous ways to “connect” with your customers to receive their feedback.
- Pay attention to the “little things” in your service quality.
- Focus on “reliability” versus “tangibles” (see my article called Five Things Customers Want)
Manage Your Employees Well
- Place a high value on your employees. Recognize them as the best source for new ideas.
- Set customer-focused standards of performance. Personalize your service.
- Select and train your people well.
- Ask for employee feedback. Listen and respond to what they say.
Run Your Company Effectively
- Gear everything toward customer expectations.
- Align the entire company to serve your customers effectively.
- Make sure all parts of your organization act in harmony and with consistency of purpose in serving your customers.
- Walk the talk. Model the way.
For almost 30 years Innovative Management Group has offered effective roadmaps, tools, methods, and models to help businesses become customer-focused. Our patented Consistent Service Model? shows how to deliver on the “implied promises” each and every time by every employee at every level of your organization.
Call us at 702-592-6431 to learn how we can help you focus everyone within your organization on the things that matter most to your customers. §
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Mac McIntire is the president of Innovative Management Group, a Las Vegas-based training and consulting firm specializing in strategic visioning and alignment, organizational effectiveness, management development, quality improvement, customer service, and teamwork. He can be reached at 702-592-6431 or e-mail [email protected]. His website is www.imglv.com