By Cameron Beveridge
Organisations can no longer consider it ‘a job well done’ when a sale closes or a project is implemented. The ongoing disruption wrought by technology requires constant change and adaptation. Businesses must constantly evolve, change, improve and optimise their systems and services. A once-off implementation or acquisition is not going to deliver the competitive advantage needed to succeed. A single innovation or disruptive technology could reshape entire industries overnight.
What organisations should strive for in the age of customer experience is an unwavering commitment to customer success. By creating a unified and outcome-focused experience for customers, organisations can more easily become business or innovation partners to their customers. This shifts the dynamic away from once-off sales and lengthy deployment projects, to ongoing transformational support as the customer travels along the path of their innovation journey.
The objective here is to provide guidance and support to customers to ensure they utilise their technology tools to their full potential. Technology providers need to instil a customer-first culture throughout their organisation to provide a positive experience to customers. This, in turn, builds trust; when there is trust, the quality of collaboration improves and it becomes easier to deliver value consistently.
Customer experience is not the sole reserve of the CEO or the chief marketing officer (or even the newly created position of customer experience executive); it is the responsibility of every person within the organisation. Tools such as Qualtrics support businesses by generating quantifiable data that point to deficient experiences and highlight opportunities for deepening brand affection and loyalty among customers that enjoy positive experiences. With the support of a team working in a customer-first culture, this can turn customers into fanatics, products into obsessions and employees into ambassadors.
This is an extract out of one of the articles, A customer-first approach, appearing in the latest edition of Top500. Email marketing@top500.co.za to order your copy.
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