Rediscover the Customer Focus: The Challenge of Being a Client

In recent conversations with friends and colleagues, I've noticed a recurring topic: the growing disconnect between businesses and their customers. It's not just about the service industry; it's about a broader shift away from customer-centricity that spans across various sectors.

As consumers, it's becoming increasingly common to walk into an establishment and not receive that warm smile or attentive eye contact. The focus on customer orientation, flexibility, and creativity in responding to customer needs seems to have waned.

This trend isn't limited to obvious customer-facing roles. It extends to professional service providers and even executive leadership levels. Many organizations find themselves wondering why things aren't going as planned, and the workplace climate can feel tense and strained.

In these discussions, a recurring idea has surfaced: "The Challenge of Being a Client." It's a concept that demands us to step into the shoes of a customer and view our businesses and institutions from their perspective. How well are we really meeting their needs and expectations?

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, embracing again the 90’s top trending concept “customer-centricity approach”? is not just a choice; it's an essential leadership skill. Whether you're leading a team, a department, or an entire organization, the ability to put yourself in the customer's shoes and align your strategies with their needs is paramount.

To delve deeper into this issue, I recently conducted a personal experiment. I scrolled through the last 100 entries on my LinkedIn timeline, which includes a diverse network of over 4,300 followers, spanning various professional levels and industries, with a significant representation from the healthcare sector.

To my surprise, there were only 5 references to "patient experience" or the "customer's perspective." Only once did I come across content that openly discussed the importance of listening to customers and aligning services with their needs. No comments about employees or colleagues expectations and needs. In fact, the words “thank you" appeared in just one post.

This reflection prompts us to pause and consider the bigger picture. How can we, as professionals and leaders, reintroduce a client-centric focus (internal and external ) into our strategies and plans? How can we make it an essential leadership skill, not just an afterthought?

This phenomenon of disconnect with the customer, and the growing dehumanization prominently displayed in large corporations, is however ironic in a world where automation and artificial intelligence are constantly advancing; we encounter an intriguing paradox. AI, for instance, like the GPT-based chatbot, has the ability to be extremely courteous to those of us who use it. Isn't it astonishing that these machines can provide such polite service while asking us if their responses helped or met our needs?

This raises a fundamental question: why do we often not experience the same kindness and attention in our interactions with human organizations and businesses? Technology shows us that it's possible to combine efficiency with a friendly approach, serving as a reminder that empathy and customer care should remain core values, regardless of the industry or the organization's size.

Funny that often our assistant-AI is treating us in a more careful and polite way than our own colleagues or providers … this makes us wonder if at some point one can find themselves interacting more humanly with machines than with our own…

Maybe it has to do with people (specially in multinational environments, hugely competitive) permanently stressed, with impossible schedules probably burned out after many years of being under this pressure. People ordinarily very nice, start experimenting the “disconnection syndrome” very well described by Steve Taylor in his book (Disconnected) – and concerning paradox is here: Are machines starting to be more connected than (some) people?

Great leaders don't just lead; they listen. By hearing the voices of both customers and employees, they pave the path to goals, innovation and prosperity.

If you're among those seeking to reinvigorate your organization's customer orientation, I'm here to help. Let's explore how we can reshape your approach and put the customer back at the heart of your success. Together, we can embark on "The Challenge of Being a Client" and rediscover the power of customer-centricity.

Let's start a conversation today. Feel free to connect or reach out to explore how we can make customer focus your competitive advantage once again.

#CustomerCentricity #CustomerExperience #BusinessStrategy #Leadership

PS: My sincere thanks to all who took the time to read and comment this post. Your interest is truly appreciated. I'd also like to thank ChatGPT, RoseMary and Mauri for its invaluable assistance and gracious support in composing this message :-).

Let's keep the conversation going as we work toward a more customer/people-centric future.

Jordi Plaja Portell