While marketing teams are comprised of expert communicators and brand messaging pros who can get the word out, it takes all hands on deck to get an entire company to embrace a customer-centric culture.
According to Bain & Company, the best businesses use an across-the-board approach to encourage employees in changing their behavior and then to reinforce those changes. Business leaders should take the following actions to cultivate a customer-centric mindset in the workplace:
Operationalize customer empathy. According to PwC, only 38 percent of U.S. consumers say the employees they interact with understand their needs, and 46 percent of consumers outside the U.S. said the same. To be empathetic to your customers, identify their emotional needs, understand the reasons behind those needs, and then respond to them effectively and appropriately. At Slack, for example, employees spend time reading customer messages and observing customers to better understand their wants and needs as well as learn how consumers are using the company’s business communication software.
Hire for customer orientation. During the interview process at Hootsuite, hiring managers ask all candidates — regardless of role — questions to gauge their customer orientation.
Democratize customer insights. Rather than keeping them under lock and key in the sales and marketing departments, make customer insights available to all employees.
Enable direct interaction with customers. Find ways for employees to interact with customers directly, no matter the job function.
Link employee culture to customer outcomes. Managers are motivated and equipped to cultivate a customer-centric culture when they know if and how it impacts results, Bain & Company said. So, establish and track the link between culture and customer impact by measuring employee engagement.
Tie compensation to the customer. Money talks, so reinforce a customer-centric culture through your compensation program.
Leaders must also create a work culture where all employees know what their company stands for and how their daily work and job expectations support brand experiences, Gallup said. It is also vital for leaders to clearly articulate brand promises, teach them to their people and then demonstrate those desired behaviors.
At Amazon, it’s obvious that customers are a priority. At important meetings, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos keeps an empty chair at the conference table to represent the customer — “the most important person in the room,” he said. He encourages all employees to serve in a call center to gain customer perspective, and he occasionally does so as well.
A customer-centric company is within reach. All it takes is the right leaders in place and a “teamwork makes the dream work” approach.
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