Putting the customer at the centre of the business requires change across all levels. It includes changes to business strategy, processes and supporting technology. Removing silos and connecting employees together in a common mission to serve the customer involves significant change, not least in terms of culture and other human factors.
The enlightened business understands that the customer needs to sit at the heart of their organisation – the challenge for most, is how to make it happen...and how to take your business and people along with you.
Hard won experience has shown that putting the customer at the heart of the business requires both a top down and bottom up review of the business. There are some key things you need to know as you look to become customer centric. These include:
Who are my customers? What differentiates different customer segments?
What do my customers really want from me? What products and services do they require that I could supply and when do they require them?
How do my target customers want to engage with me? What does the “end to end” customer journey look like for my different customers and the different “products” that I have to offer them?
Crucially, which people, and what business processes, need to be in place to support what will work for me and my customers?
