19th January
2010 -The Year of the Customer……….
2010 is going to be a tough year for those businesses that don’t have a complete customer focus.
Customer Experiences Managing Director Chris Bell, is predicting that 2010 will be “The Year of the Customer” Unless
businesses understand that in today’s economy the customer is very much in charge and they start delivering a better
level of service and experience, business will suffer due to an increasing focus on price and the continued decline of
customer loyalty.
Customers are sick of marketing that has over promised and under delivered. The recent behaviour of the likes of Telecom
and others has not helped consumer confidence according to Bell.
Bell believes businesses are trying to compete in a “world of sameness”. Almost every product is a commodity which is
becoming increasingly bland and boring. Consumers are becoming increasingly confident with the use of e-commerce thanks
to website like Trade Me, opening up even more opportunities. Bell himself is a classic example of this, for the past 10
years Amazon.com has been his book shop. Bell can’t remember the last time he purchased a book from a local book store.
“The increased amount of competition is having a huge impact on customer loyalty. Couple this with the fact that it’s
becoming increasingly costly and difficult to be heard in a market place where there are an ever increasing number of
options, raising business costs and further eroding profitability.
Business is paying lip service to the importance of the customer and the need to find ways to “add greater value” but
it’s clear that there has been little action, in most cases due to a lack of knowledge.
The answer, according to Bell is to take a strategic approach that focuses on both employees and customers in a way
which delivers increasing value, in return for greater engagement and loyalty.
“This new approach necessitates a change in a businesses focus, both from a leadership perspective and in the way
employees and customers are prioritised. Let’s be very clear - employees will never deliver a consistently great
customer experience unless they are having the same, so putting your people first must be a priority. From here you can
improve employee engagement and create the magic customers are looking for at the front counter.”
“Emerging from this recession is a great time to take a serious look at business, talk to your people, suppliers and
customers and step back and take a good hard look from the ‘outside in’, remembering there is only one perspective which
really matters, and that’s your customers. >>>ends
ends