Yaicha

What does it mean to be customer-centric? Is it enough to have a cool slogan like “Every Encounter Counts” and that makes you focussed on your customers? Of course not. Slogans don’t interact with your customers. People do.

Slogans are useful when people understand them. But since they are so short and simple, different people may interpret differently how to act on them. Lots more has to happen besides printing the slogan on coffee mugs and sending them to all employees. A culture has to be built over time, and it’s hard work.

When a customer complains about how your company has treated them, how do you respond? Do you generate a series of internal emails among the players involved, in which it gets explained how the company didn’t really treat the customer badly? Or do you pick up the phone, call the customer, really listen to what he has to say, and do your very best to make things right?

I’m not saying you have to give every customer what he wants — just suggesting that every dissatisfied customer should be listened to and responded to genuinely and sincerely. If the complaint can be resolved to the customer’s satisfaction, that’s best, of course.

If you’re not already familiar with the “iceberg” concept regarding customer complaints, check this out, or go to TARP’s website. And research has also shown that when you are able to win back a customer who has complained, that customer will be more loyal than those who had no reason to complain at all. (Sorry, I don’t have at my fingertips the original research I read about this — will add it later if I can find it.)

For every encounter to truly count, then even the negative ones need to be made to count positively. That’s a part of company culture that only the best companies understand — if they don’t act on it, I suggest they don’t really understand it. Actions are the proof, not catchy slogans.