What Does Customer-Centric Mean to Customers?

Bob Thompson
Founder, CRMGuru.com
Member

Posted 01-Nov-2005 06:57 PM
CRMGuru panelist Dick Lee, of High-Yield Methods, and David Mangen, Ph.D, of Mangen Research Associates, are developing a new study to identify the business practices that customers view as customer-centric. CRMGuru is partnering with Dick and David in this effort.

We hope to learn to what degree major industry sectors are successfully achieving customer-centricity, as customers perceive it.

Please help us out by giving your feedback on the following attributes that we think are common to companies with a customer-centric mindset.

Would you add or delete any attributes from this list? Again, these should be attributes that would be apparent to customers.

* Belief that creating new value for the customer will create value for the company.
* Orientation around understanding and solving customer problems, rather than just selling goods and services.
* More concerned with delivering the best possible service than blindly adhering to internal policies and procedures.
* Commitment to please customers and "go the extra mile" outweigh desire to do business the most cost-effective way.
* Willing to offer "relationship pricing" based on level of business, rather than just reacting to customers demanding a better price.
* Two-way communication with customers (including significant measure of listening), rather than one-way persuasion of customers to sell more product.
* Employees empowered to resolve customer issues rather than "get a manager"

Thanks!

Bob Thompson
Founder, CRMGuru.com

Graham Hill
Guru
Member

Posted 02-Nov-2005 01:56 AM
Bob

Round's Customer Centricity "Home Run" framework is by far the best way we have to think about customer centricity at the moment.

Why not talk to David Rance and see what you can learn from his vast experience of working with customers in this area.

Graham Hill
Independent CRM Consultant

Mike Ehrensberger
Member

Posted 02-Nov-2005 08:40 AM
Ken Simonds the CEO at Teradata, prior to Teradata's acquisition by NCR, I think had it right. His approach was "we will treat our last customer as more important than our next customer".