What is customer-centric culture?

Customer-centric culture is a valuable resource for companies seeking to differentiate themselves from their employees, competitors and B2C customers. If we analyze the concept of customer-centricity, also known as CC, we understand that this technique arises from the change of consumers in markets that previously focused their attention on the product or service and not on the customer.

Today, the customer-centric culture is applied by large multinational companies seeking to make the difference between their competitors and the loyalty of their B2C customers. Through this resource, the company evaluates the interaction with people in each phase of interaction, for example:

·      How the customer perceives the brand;

·       What leads him to consume the products and/or services;

·      Level of satisfaction as a consumer;

·      What leads him to become a customer.

Based on the answers, the company can define its action plan and strategy for the customer to achieve the highest possible satisfaction in each of the evaluation stages, which, in turn, involve all departments of the company, because the purpose of improving the customer experience is also based on the teamwork and alignment of the different departments of the company.

For the company, the customer centric importance it’s focusing in the results it will obtain in the long term, in the economic performance and the loyalty of the B2C customers it will obtain with the change of paradigm and strategy.

What to do to improve customer experience?

The first step to achieve a change in the idiosyncrasy of the company is to understand the importance of listening to the customer, its needs, pains and weaknesses, to work on them and not only on the company's own objectives. If the company has already changed the focus it had on products and services and now it is costumer centric, then it is a company that is ready to make the change. Below is a list of components to understand the customer centric importance:

·      The customer as a priority: It is extremely important to define the importance that the customer represents for the company, once this focus changes, it will be in customer centric and not on the services and/or products offered.

·      Define objectives, strategies and action plan: Once the business is customer centric, it must begin to define the objectives, strategies and action plan that will improve the user's experience and satisfaction. The joint work of the different departments is a key point to achieve the common goal.

·      Measuring results: With the strategies already in place, it is time for departments to measure results to know if the changes implemented were successful or if modifications need to be made to achieve the objectives set in the previous stage.

·      Pay attention to the customer, listen carefully: It is essential for a company to have direct access channels that facilitate communication with the customer, such as, for example, chat, e-mail, telephone, instant messaging, social networks, etc., since in this way the impression that users have about the company can be monitored more easily and effectively. These impressions should be analyzed jointly by the different areas, because in this way they will be able to realistically evaluate the impressions that customers have about their work and the commitment that the departments have with customer satisfaction.

·      Facilitate and improve interaction with the user: If the company's customer centric focus, it must be committed to improving user satisfaction on a daily basis, and this means improving interaction with the user. One of the best known strategies to improve interaction is based on the fact that at some point in their career, all members of the company must fulfill the role of customer service. For example, if a person works in the accounting or payment department, he or she may be required to work for a period of a few weeks in a customer service department. In this way, a person who does not have a direct relationship with the customer in his or her daily activities will learn first-hand about the customer's needs and how these needs are directly represented in his or her department.

·      Reward the retribution of customer satisfaction: Reinforcing employee commitment to customer satisfaction is a very important pillar for service to remain quality and continue to be customer centric.

These strategies require time, dedication and, above all, teamwork and clear objectives in the search for successful results and satisfied customers. It is important for the company to know that, in order to achieve a customer centric focus, it is necessary to make internal and external changes that lead the corporation and its employees to improve the user experience at every stage.

Characteristics of companies focused on costumer centric:

These types of companies tend to have some key characteristics that differentiate them from those with a service or product focus. Below is a list of some of the main characteristics:

·      Ownership of the experience: LSI: Consumer-oriented companies try to take ownership of the user experience at all stages and are committed to ensuring that the user always has the best possible customer experience by offering high quality service and competence.

·      Customer interaction: These companies interact with the customer quickly and frequently, which is not the case with companies that focus their attention away from the customer.

·      They value their employees: Happy employees convey a positive message to customers, so LSI: Client-focused companies not only take care of providing good customer service, they start with their employees.

Benefits of customer centric focus

Consumers are constantly changing, and this is one of the main reasons why markets and businesses must renew themselves and adapt to their behavior.

The main benefit of a company's customer-centric focus will be seen in the returns obtained in the medium and long term, but also in customer loyalty and in the behaviors of satisfied customers, i.e., in sharing the experience with other consumers.

A study published by Forbes magazine in September 2019 shows that 84% of companies that work under a customer-centric culture, increase their revenues significantly, therefore this makes us think that betting on changing the culture of consumption focused on the service or product by the customer-centric culture is vital for the positioning and improvement of business at small, medium and large scale.