In any business, your customers are the driving force behind your bottom line. It makes sense that that happier you make your customers, the more profitable your business will be. An article from Talkdesk.com lists some popular companies out there reaping the rewards of their customer centric culture. For example, USAA offers 24/7 information on car insurance claims and car insurance discounts to soldiers deployed overseas, and in return they are currently enjoying a 97.8% customer retention rate. Chick-Fil-A encourages their employees use the phrase “my pleasure” when responding to customers. Warm greetings such as these, along with the obvious overall satisfaction of employees that work there, are probably a big reason why Chick-Fil-A is getting so many accolades from customers.
It goes without saying that creating a customer centric culture is essential to your company’s success. But how do you get started? Here are some tips for creating a customer centric culture at your organization:
1) Prove to your employees the importance of customer centricity
For your employees to believe in upholding a customer centric culture, you need to clearly express to them how delivering a good customer experience benefits them and the company. Research from Deloitte shows that customer centric companies are 60% more profitable in comparison to companies that don’t focus on the customer. If you can, show them data on how customer satisfaction has impacted the bottom line at your company.
2) Communicate to employees what a customer centric culture means
To successfully create a customer centric culture at your organization, you need to show employees what that means. Create a list of core values and principles you want your company culture to reflect, and distribute it among your employees. Some of these principles may include listening to customers, validating customer concerns and treating other employees with respect. In the document, clearly define how employees can deliver a quality customer experience, making sure it is easy enough to understand. Invest in training your employees on achieving optimal customer satisfaction.
3) Reinforce customer centric principles throughout your organization
When you see an employee not carrying out the principles of your company’s customer centric culture, don’t hesitate to correct them. Make sure leadership’s behavior reflects a customer centric culture, to set an example for the rest of the staff. Encourage all employees, including management, to connect with customers. If you are a large company, assign your other departments to watch and assist the customer service department on occasion, so they can better understand the customers they are serving.
4) Empower employees to serve customers
Creating a customer centric culture your employees are motivated to participate in means giving them the freedom and independence to decide the best way to satisfy customers. Empower employees to make decisions on their own regarding what the best course of action is for each customer’s situation. Every company has limits to what they can do for customers, but try to give your employees as much flexibility as possible.
5) Recognize and reward customer success
Celebrate your employee’s achievements towards creating and maintaining a customer centric culture. Offer recognition to employees who have gone above and beyond for customers at meetings, in company newsletters and on the company website. This will help motivate them for continued success, and motivate other employees to follow their example.
Reward high achieving customer service employees with incentives such as bonuses, pay raises and more vacation time, and reward high achieving customer service teams with perks such as free lunches and fun-filled company outings. This will help employees correlate customer satisfaction with their own professional success.
Author: Jessica Cody
Jessica Cody, a native of Fairfield County, Connecticut, has a background in online marketing and public relations. Currently, she works at VHMNetwork LLC in the role of Marketing Analyst. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she studied Journalism and Political Science. She is also an avid runner with a passion for the outdoors.
