Close Encounters

Are your internal clients in touch with the true business needs of their customers? One key to achieving higher levels of Customer Satisfaction is the ability to understand your customers. This inevitably means getting closer to them. If you can persuade your Marketing personnel and perhaps some of your senior managers to become more involved with clients – by observing them and interacting with them in real situations – this can ultimately pay dividends.

 

But how does this work in practice? The solution is to develop a programme of activities and techniques that involve your company’s executives and the customers. This enables the executives to gain first hand experience of the customer’s situation. It may include (for instance) getting involved in the research process. Examples of useful programmes that can kick-start new initiatives include: 

 Activities could involve attending Focus Groups (where the executive observes but doesn’t interact with the customer); conducting interviews to get feedback or input on a specific topic; or getting involved in normal customer activities (such as shop floor work or deliveries).

 

If you are scheduling these types of events, it’s vital that they are well planned and that everyone involved is well briefed. Senior executives will not want to wait around because of poor planning. It’s also helpful to arrange informal feedback from all of the parties after the event so that you can fine tune any future events.

One company that is extremely good at getting close to its customers is Tesco. Its Chief Executive is known to spend one day a week in stores, either with customers or local staff. All of the company’s top managers are now on the shop floor every week – and as a result it is probably the most customer-centric business in the UK. A Tesco supplier was recently quoted as saying: “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a meeting with anybody from all over the business where it has taken more than ten minutes for someone to ask the question, ‘Yes, but what does it mean for the customer?’”

 

Similarly, everyone in the Royal Mail’s Insight Team spends at least four or five days a year alongside customers to gain a clearer understanding of their needs. This includes spending time in post office branches, and getting first hand experience of collection and delivery services, as well as attending focus groups and workshops.

 

Ultimately, a successful programme can produce a major change in customer understanding, which in turn can be translated into increased sales or retention and profit.

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