Customers are the most important entities for any brand or business in order to derive revenue or even barely survive in the marketplace. Especially during times like these when the world economy is going through a rough patch, shifting all our focus on improving customer services and delivering a better customer experience is what can save the moment for many businesses. As believed by Stew Leonard, “Rule 1: The customer is always right. Rule 2: If the customer is ever wrong, re-read Rule 1”. They were listed by Fortune magazine as one of the “100 best companies to work for'', and this brand is known for its exceptional customer service policies in the US.

The point here is to keep in mind the importance of customers, their likes and dislikes, and what can attract them the most towards your brand exclusively, while conducting day-to-day activities if you are running a business. Most companies run their campaigns and have a motto that echoes the “customer first” inclination: Customer is King, The Customer is Always Right, etc. For example, these companies listed below were the most customer-centric companies of the year 2019 according to Forbes:

• Kering SA
• Workday
• Apple
• Alaska Airlines

These brands were able to excel in their customer service quotient and lived up to their motto of putting the customer first in their respective fields of operation. What did they do differently that made them excel? Well, they worked on establishing the customer-first culture from top to bottom. It’s the simple things, simple gestures that matter the most, making your customers feel that their voices are heard and respected, that their feedback hold the most important place, and the fact that you are willing to go that extra mile to deliver a good customer experience is what all counts and can potentially help you drive customer loyalty.

Culture is the most under-appreciated tool in impacting customer experience, and only 38% of consumers say employees understand their needs.

Strategies to develop a customer-first culture

Let’s discuss a few simple steps to ace the art of putting the customer first.

1. Figure out who your customer is

Build a customer persona, by knowing your clientele you can zero down on their choices and what they like or dislike the most. You can present your brand in a way that caters to their requirements. Knowing your target customer base on a more personal level can benefit you in so many ways, instead of running around clueless and ending up losing business, you can put efforts into building a customer persona and make changes in your service or product or maybe your marketing techniques to get more positive responses. For example, when you put efforts into understanding who your customer is, you can find answers to questions like do your customers prefer individualized services, or do they prefer streamlined policies? Do they prefer to go through FAQs on your website or do they prefer a live chat option to get their queries resolved?

Finding answers to these questions can help you take a step ahead in developing a customer-first culture and get access to information leading you towards becoming a brand with great customer services.

2. Building an “all-hands support” policy

Imagine the benefits of this simple change. Your customers are the only factor that decides your brand's success, and helping them at all costs should be of prime importance. Everyone in the company participating in resolving customer issues can be a great opportunity to convey your message that you care. According to the CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos “it can create better empathy for the customer, so every year even the upper management will take the time to be trained in customer service”

We are all aware of Amazon’s customer service and how they go above and beyond to deliver what they promise.

3. The Inverted pyramid theory 

It is one of the great opportunity to help your employees understand the core company values that you uphold. According to this methodology, it can help employees embrace a customer-centric environment. It was re-instituted by The Home Depot CEO Frank Blake while turning the company around after the 2007 recession. According to all the successful CEOs “Having a visual symbol such as the pyramid where employees can regularly see it (such as the break room) emphasizes the company values in a very practical way.”

Developing the customer-first culture isn’t very difficult if all and everyone within an organization starts believing in the company's motto with all their hearts. When all the forces are working towards a common goal “deliver great customer service”, nothing can stop them from achieving the desired success as a whole. At Dropthought we believe that to build a sustainable relationship with a customer, and to develop a customer-first culture within an organization, we must value customer feedback. We believe in building a situation-based and feedback-centric client engagement plan that will not only help businesses to leverage the data collected abundantly but also if done right this can turn into a long-lasting opportunity to keep your customers intact and keep the revenue bar up and running. Your customers can express their opinions through the surveys and provide suggestions about your product and services, and more throughout their customer journey.

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