Let's Create Digital Operations

This is the eigth article in a series exploring the components of a successful digital transformation.

Let’s Create Digital Operations: Client-centric Mindset

I’ve posted recently about the people who are at the heart of IBM’s digital transformation. Today, I’m going to explore what it is that makes them so successful.

We live in a highly transactional world. But if my team were to view client interactions as one-off transactions, we would never understand what it’s like to live in their world and we would certainly never be able to effectively anticipate and respond to their needs.

Instead, we choose to embrace a client-centric mindset and engage more deeply in these critical relationships.

What is a Client-centric Mindset?

A client-centric mindset comes from a shift in our thinking from client service to client advocacy. That means viewing every client interaction not merely as a transaction, but as an opportunity to deepen the relationship while striving to continuously improve, learn, transform, and innovate.

How Does a Client-centric Mindset Work?

?Our strategy for achieving a client-centric mindset focuses on three key areas:

·??????Enabling our teams - though tools and training - to deliver better experiences for our clients

·??????Knowing our clients and stakeholders – by building relationships through understanding of their industries, their pain points, and their sentiment

·??????Connecting our learning with relationship insights to identify and prioritize solutions that will delight each specific client

This comes to life through four key executional efforts, which prioritize:

-??????The Voice of the Client by combining available structured data from client experiences with industry data to understand how the client really feels about their IBM experience

-??????Client Dialogues by enabling a collaborative exchange with clients and stakeholders so we can gain a deeper understand of their expectations, which helps to ensure we mitigate potential issues and are ready to support them with speed

-??????A Client experience forum we established to explore and resolve pervasive issues; by gathering data, identifying top issues, and pulling together a cross-functional team, we quickly close the loop

-??????Our NextGen Badge, an internal training and education platform that offers outside and inside perspective on how to adopt a client-centric mindset

Who Benefits from a Client-centric Mindset?

This mindset shift – a true focus on listening, a dedication to working as partners towards the best solution and a commitment to continuous learning – has evolved our relationship from service partner to advisor. As a result:

·??????We have a better understanding of how we can make an impact every day for our clients.

·??????We can foster stronger relationships between leaders, stakeholders and users.

·??????We have individually and as a team embraced accountability for client-centric behaviors through training and recognition.

·??????The best of IBM can show up for our clients every day.?

It is how we can take every opportunity to delight and deliver for our clients.