Customer First

It’s a fast-changing world – do you know where your customers are?

Disruption changes everybody’s priorities, and the new customer has different wants, needs, goals, and aspirations. If you don’t know what matters to them now, they will choose somebody else who does.

Many businesses start with a clear view of their ideal customer, take the time to understand their problems and goals, and create products and services to fit. But over time, they drift apart. Far too often, the customer – who should be the primary focus of the business – is forgotten.

In the past, it was easier to see the warning signs and re-engage with customers. But in a fast-changing world, that’s not so easy, and it’s easier than ever for competitors to swoop in and take your customers and market share. Especially when customers face ongoing chaos, disruption, and uncertainty.

The businesses that succeed are those that can adapt to the changing customer, with leaders who can lead in uncertainty, team members who put the customer first, and a culture that embraces change and a customer-first mindset.

Being customer-centric means taking three different perspectives:

1. Outside In: Understand the trends shaping your key markets, so you understand what customers really want now in those markets. This means that when you’re building the customer experience, you’re pulled from the future, not pushed from the past.
2. Customer First: Then you review your current customer offerings to see how well they align with those key markets and ideal customers.
3. Inside Out: Finally, from a practical viewpoint, you identify specific tactics and processes to engage those customers to serve them better and involve them in building a superior customer experience.