© D.D. Tsyrenov, D. Strobel

CLIENT-CENTERED APPROACH TO ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

The article summarizes and systematizes existing approaches to defining the concept of “customer orientation” and linking them with the presence of certain processes in the company.

Key words: client-oriented approach, relationship management.

D.D. Tsyrenov, D. Strobel CLIENT-ORIENTED APPROACH TO ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT

The author summarizes and systematizes the existing approaches to the definition of customer orientation and their relation to the presence of certain processes in the company.

Keywords: client-oriented approach, relationship management.

The ambiguity of forms of manifestation of customer orientation is manifested both in practice and in research of modern management; this also affects the variety of interpretations of the term “client/consumer orientation” itself. One of the factors that determines the interpretation of the concept of “customer orientation” is the object of analysis. In the case of a commercial company, the main goal of the organization will be making a profit and related revenue indicators, market capitalization, maintaining and developing competitive advantages, etc. In this case, the company considers customer satisfaction (focusing on his needs) as an intermediate benchmark, a source of profit, a means of maintaining a competitive position in the market, that is, achieving its own goals.

Customer focus can be viewed as a company's ability to achieve its goals by satisfying customer needs. It should be noted that this context of consideration presupposes the presence of a certain market (economic) situation in which it will be economically feasible for the company to only partially satisfy customer requests.

Another option for considering customer orientation is possible, when we assume that the goals and needs of the client for the company turn out to be the highest priority in the hierarchy of goals and objectives, along with its own. In other words, the company's primary goal is customer satisfaction, not making a profit or maintaining a market position. Based on the proposed premises, the second interpretation of customer focus is most likely for non-profit organizations. Such organizations in most cases are aimed at performing some socially significant function, the implementation of which involves meeting the needs of individuals, and, consequently, focusing on them. However, for non-profit organizations, customer focus will be limited. For example, a number of socially significant and socially important functions, such as pension savings or environmental protection, are carried out in the interests of the population, but often contrary to the current needs and desires of individuals. In such conditions, an organization can focus on the client by minimizing associated transaction costs (increasing the quality of service, providing convenient communication channels, etc.).

In addition to all of these factors, the company’s ability to focus on customer needs is also influenced by the diversity of consumer preferences. Each individual has his own ideas about the ideal product or service that best satisfies a particular need. Segmentation solves this problem, however, a commercial organization determines the feasibility of their use based on economic profitability criteria, and non-profit organizations, as a rule, provide an undifferentiated product, thereby minimizing the costs of their own operation.

Issues of consumer satisfaction and well-being are the focus of attention not only of individual companies, but also of various public organizations and associations representing various interest groups, including consumers. Thus, government regulation or the influence of public organizations can influence the process of interaction between the company and clients, reducing or, conversely, increasing the motivation of a business to be customer-oriented. For example, the American Consumer Organization regularly monitors and comprehensively evaluates a wide range of consumer products, forcing manufacturers to adjust the quality of their products and the range of after-sales services. In addition, such communities monitor cases of unethical behavior by companies, recommending to their members the purchase of certain products and warning against the consumption of others.

As Shapiro notes, the terms “customer-centric,” “market-oriented,” “market-driven,” and “close-to-consumer” are so synonymous with each other that there are virtually no meaningful differences between them. It should be noted that in Shapiro’s works, as in most subsequent ones written in the logic of transactional marketing, the term “market orientation” is more often used. Further, as this area of ​​research develops, the customer emerges as the most significant component of market orientation. In this paper, the term “market orientation” will be used exclusively when discussing earlier work where the customer was considered in close relationship with other elements of the internal and external environment of the company.

In the 1990s. Market orientation research has received a qualitatively new development. The focus was on the issue of meaningful interpretation of customer orientation. Based on the analysis of existing definitions (Table 1), it becomes clear that the key element of market orientation is the customer.

Table 1

Multiple Definitions of Customer Focus

Saxe, Weitz, Assisting customers in making such Sales, oriented

1982 purchases that will satisfy their needs tailored to the client

Paters, Water - Increased attention to service and quality - Closeness to clients -

man, 1982 wu, product adaptation to customer requirements, active listening to customers

Shapiro, 1988 The ability of a business unit to provide

1. Penetration of information about all markets

consumer preferences into every corporate function

2. Making strategic and tactical decisions cross-functionally and

interdivisional

3. Acceptance by divisions and functional

nal divisions are clearly coordinated

coordinated decisions and their implementation

based on the relevant obligations

Kohli, Jaworski, 1990 Gathering market information regarding current and future customer needs, disseminating this knowledge across departments, and responding to it throughout the organization Market orientation

Narver, Slater, 1990 An organizational culture that most effectively and efficiently supports activities that create added value for customers and thereby allows the business to de- Market orientation

monster outstanding orientation towards

marketresults. client

Customer focus - understanding the

current and future goals and objectives

client, sufficient for permanent

creating value for him

Ruekert, 1992 Ability to collect and use Orientation to

information from clients, develop a strategy that meets market needs

clients, implement this strategy,

responding to the needs and demands of clients

Deshpande et al. 1993 A set of beliefs that puts the customer's interests first, without excluding other stakeholders such as owners, employees, and managers, to position the company for long-term profitability Customer Focus

Deshpande, Farley, 1996 A set of cross-functional processes and activities aimed at attracting and satisfying customers through continuous assessment of their needs Market orientation

Hennig-Thurau T., 2004 Customer orientation of service personnel through technical and social skills, motivation and decision-making authority. Customer Focus

Lamben, 2006 A company's efforts to understand consumer needs, create value for them, and develop skills to anticipate new consumer problems. Customer Focus

In the works of Narver and Slater, customer orientation is interpreted as one of the components of market orientation. In addition to customer orientation, this complex considers orientation to competitors and intra-company integration, ensured by a special corporate culture, allowing employees to perceive the company’s environment “in the coordinates” of the company’s clients and its competitors. The combination of these three components ensures the company's long-term and sustainable operation by creating “more” value for customers. Some researchers even note that the approach of Narver and Slater treats market and customer orientation as a special dominant form of organizational culture. In turn, Koli and Jaworski, in their definition of market and customer orientation, emphasize the process component. They identify the following processes to ensure customer focus:

1. Data collection. The stage includes the collection and processing of data both about the existing needs and preferences of customers, and about external forces that may influence the development and change of such needs. It is noted that data collection should be carried out in several divisions of the company. Next, data must be collected and comprehensive analysis carried out to ensure a unified customer perception at all levels of the company.

2. Data dissemination. The key is the process and extent to which market information is disseminated within a given organization. Information must be disseminated both vertically and horizontally within the organizational structure through formal and informal communication channels.

3. Feedback - actions taken in response to/based on the results of the analysis of the collected data. Here, both the planning level and direct activities are considered, the speed and coordination of which is increased through the implementation of the approach.

In addition, there is an attempt to determine customer orientation based on an analysis of the type of organizational culture and the degree of its market orientation. Deshpande, based on the classification proposed by Cameron, Freeman and Queen, hypothesized that the “market”, as a type of organizational culture, is most consistent with the idea of ​​market and customer orientation, compared to “adhocracy”, “clan” and “bureaucracy”. "and will demonstrate the greatest effectiveness.

In general, most of the approaches to determining customer orientation shown in Table 1 fit into the process diagram structurally presented in the works of Kolya and Yavorsky: 1) collecting data on customer needs; 2) distribution of data within the company; 3) reaction to the data received. Thus, it is possible to use this approach as a base in further analysis.

It should be noted that the concept of market/customer orientation was widespread before the works under review and, as a rule, assumed qualitative assessments. At the same time, there was a revival of interest in this topic in research in the 1990s. is associated with an attempt to prove the dependence of the company’s economic results on the level of its orientation towards the market and the client. Moreover, based on a large number of interviews conducted, Kohli and Jaworski attempt to introduce some assessments of a company's market orientation. They write: “it would be most correct to assess a company’s market orientation as some indicator from a range of values, rather than simply noting its presence or absence.”

Let's consider factors that can influence a company's market orientation and its long-term results. Koli and Jaworski were the first to write about the possible presence of factors influencing both the level of market orientation and its role in the company’s activities. Among such factors, they identified insufficient market competition, stability of preferences, high economic growth rates or turbulent technologies.

The marketing approach implies the orientation of business processes to meet the needs and requirements of customers. One source of differences may be the planning time horizon chosen by customers and suppliers when making decisions. A customer can focus on both current and future needs, although Hamel and Prahalad note that “customers don't think about the future at all.” The supplier can also be focused on both the current market situation and the future.

For effective interaction, it is necessary that both the buyer and the seller are focused on the same time period, otherwise it is impossible to satisfy customer needs. Satisfying current customer needs in existing markets provides significant cash flow, but is less promising from a strategic perspective. Investments and promotion to the market of new products aimed at future customer needs are associated with increased risks. Thus, the Apple company mentioned above created the Newton model back in 1987, which embodied a large number of methods for recognizing handwritten text input. It should be noted that the well-known term PDA was first proposed to describe this particular device. However, due to lack of popularity among users and financial difficulties, the project was closed a few years later.

Customer focus is also closely related to innovation and new product development. Thus, most companies cannot repeat the success that was achieved when entering the market. When an industry undergoes a “technological leap,” most of the former leaders find themselves “out of work.” One of the most striking examples is the computer industry. IBM has traditionally been a leader in large computers, but it was many years behind in developing innovative minicomputer architectures and entering the market. Leading microcomputer manufacturers - Digital Equipment and Data General - missed the advent of personal computers. This market was created by newcomers to the industry - Apple, Commodore and Tandy, later joined by IBM. The pioneers of the laptop computer market were Compaq, Zenith, Toshiba and Sharp, also new players in the industry. At first glance, the reason lies in the inertia of the leading company, managerial myopia or lack of resources and competencies to compete in new conditions. It is known that when DuPont entered the home goods market with its synthetic fabrics, cotton producers had neither the human, financial nor organizational resources to compete. The leader actively monitors the market, invests in new technologies and products, and also listens to new customers.

Christensen and Bover note that a company could lose its industry leadership by focusing too much on consumers and constantly listening to their needs. In the logic of the resource approach, one of the main reasons will be excessive attention to customer needs. Indeed, every organization experiences ideas for new products, applications, new technologies and customers literally every day. Most innovation proposals require significant resources - both financial and human. The priorities in selecting proposals for implementation will largely replicate the company’s existing business structure. Because

innovative activity is aimed at maintaining and strengthening competitive positions; resource allocation will be based on market incentives. Leading companies have a high ability to develop and innovate in their markets, but can fail when the innovation is not directly related to the needs of current customers. On the other hand, any innovative activity requires significant investment, and servicing the current needs of customers provides just such opportunities.

Business market research shows that a small number of customers contribute to co-development of products with the customer. In addition, many studies of innovation emphasize the importance of a company's market orientation. In fact, all the disagreements arise from the fact that customer orientation refers to two different management concepts - adaptive behavior and proactive behavior. As additional variables for their differentiation, we can highlight the horizon of analysis and the needs of customers that the company focuses on. A company can focus on the short term, trying to satisfy the needs that customers express. The second approach is based on a long-term perspective of analysis and the desire to satisfy all needs, both existing and emerging, creating customer value.

By following the customer, the company identifies customer needs in the markets it serves and develops products and services to meet those needs. Typically, these companies use focus groups and consumer surveys to expand their understanding of the current situation. They also actively use “concept testing” techniques and collaborative analysis to manage the process of developing new products. This approach is actively used in many industries, in particular in commercial banks. Many successful banks have implemented information systems that allow them to analyze information about current transactions and make segmentation and targeting of target segments more effective. Following the client, the desire to satisfy his current needs as much as possible leads to adaptive, rather than inventive learning. In this case, company managers look at all problems “through the eyes of the client.” Hamel and Prahalad call this situation “the tyranny of the market served.”

Close ties and specific investments that arise within the framework of customer-supplier relationships in industrial markets have a significant impact on the innovation activities of the latter. The presence of connections leads to an increase in the risk of client opportunism, which, in turn, affects the supplier's innovative activity. As a result, the most successful firms are extremely selective in choosing partners and building relationships with them. Nevertheless, S. Vargo and R. Lash note that the client is always the direct creator of value; they call the center of innovation not a specific

company, but the intercompany interactions themselves. Further research in this area shows that close intercompany ties in most cases stimulate the innovation process, and the problems of opportunism and excess knowledge are successfully overcome.

Another important problem is that by focusing on short-term goals, managers place more emphasis on current indicators, such as customer satisfaction, to the detriment of strategic development of long-term relationships. Important strategic goals, such as new product success or organizational learning, remain overshadowed by this short-term objective. Excessive customer focus can reduce the motivation to make risky investments in the development of both the product and processes in the company. As a result, the organization will make only small changes to existing products and processes.

At first glance, the activities of a market-oriented company differ slightly from the logic of following the buyer. Market orientation involves the systematic collection and processing of information about the explicit and hidden needs of customers, a systematic analysis of the activities and capabilities of competitors. The basis for creating additional customer value is the sharing of acquired knowledge and coordinated and focused activities. Compared to customer-following companies, market structures explore the market more broadly, have a longer development horizon, and are more prone to the inventive learning that is critical to innovation. Thus, market-oriented companies in the terminology of Narver and Slater tend to complement the arsenal of traditional market research technologies with tools that allow them to identify latent customer needs and provide innovative learning. An example is participant observation of the process of product consumption by a client. By analyzing the data obtained, the company obtains information about the client's needs that is not available through traditional research. An interesting direction is to work separately with the main users. The interaction with such users differs significantly from that described by Christensen and Bover. In addition to purchase volume, which is also important to the supplier, lead users are existing or potential customers whose needs are significantly higher than the average and who hope to gain significant benefits by meeting them. According to Connor, the practice of interacting with lead users is a kind of intermediate option, but a company gets the most promising results by focusing on its own creative vision and innovation (Figure 1).

Short term orientation

Long term orientation

Development of existing products and expressed needs

Prospective developments jointly with clients

Vision of the future of developers (innovators)

Rice. 1. Sources of marketing ideas

Thus, we are witnessing the gradual inclusion of the client in various forms of interaction with the company, and the movement of client-centricity from studying the client and studying his needs from the outside to direct interaction with the consumer. Gradually, the customer orientation scheme characteristic of transactional marketing is replaced by a relational one. The topic of active and passive orientation towards the market and the client is continued in the works of researchers outside of direct connection with innovation activities. In these works, market (customer) orientation is also divided into two types: adaptive and proactive. The first option involves a reactive business logic, taking the market as a given, while the second option is a proactive approach and intervention in the organization of the market. Baker and Sinkula argue that intervention in the business environment involves dismantling the status quo and replacing the entire concept of doing business with something fundamentally and radically new using individual learning.

As noted earlier, customer orientation is not always clearly perceived by researchers as a good thing. According to a number of researchers, focusing on the needs of the client stimulates additional costs in the company for the development of both mediocre and irrelevant products, short-sighted research programs, and disorderly business processes. Moreover, Hayes and Wheelwright consider excessive customer orientation to be the main reason for the decline in the competitiveness of American industry as a whole. Day and Wenzley argue that in conditions of a stable external environment and stable demand, a company should focus on the actions of competitors and direct all resources for development in this direction. On the contrary, in a situation of high turbulence in the external environment and a highly fragmented customer base, the greatest success will be those companies that try to understand their customers to the greatest extent. It is possible to note some pro-

there is a contradiction in this judgment, because In a stable market, customer focus can become the basis for implementing a differentiation strategy.

In a real business environment, an important task is to find a balance between serving existing needs and focusing on the long term. Current clients are a sufficiently stable source of profit to finance the costs of promising developments. A reasonable combination of long-term and short-term orientation allows the company to develop intensively, combining a stable current position with intensive innovative activity. In addition, it should be noted that the nature of customer orientation largely depends on the size of the company. Adaptation to customer requirements in the short term is more important for small and medium-sized businesses, in their case the dependence on current customers is much higher. Practice shows that only large companies have sufficient resources to simultaneously develop current and future products and markets. Small firms cannot ignore the needs of clients, since they are more dependent on them. Interestingly, all the market-oriented companies in Narver and Slater's article are representatives of large businesses. It can be assumed that partnerships that combine effective ongoing interaction with the client and innovative activities are a priority for small businesses compared to large companies.

An important issue is the impact of customer orientation on company performance. If we consider the concept of customer orientation at a higher level of aggregation, the relationship between the determinants of customer orientation and company results can be represented in the form of a diagram (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. The impact of customer orientation on company results

According to research results, a company’s customer focus, its ability to effectively collect and process data from customers and subsequently apply the acquired knowledge in competition has a positive effect on the company’s performance. In the course of the research, the relationship between customer orientation and the financial results of the company was identified. Market performance such as brand success, sales growth, product quality and the results of new product launches also depend on customer focus.

The stability of the company as a management system, the ability to survive in the market, proactively respond to competitive challenges and competently manage resources are also associated with customer focus. In addition, the ability to effectively collect and use customer information allows a company to better serve the interests of key stakeholders, both external and internal. Testing was carried out on a wide range of companies and business units of large holdings operating in both commodity and high-tech markets. As an approach to operationalizing and measuring customer orientation, the models proposed in the works of J. Naver and S. Slater, as well as A. Cowley and B. Jaworski, were most often used. For targeted management of customer orientation, meters and tools for assessing various levels of customer orientation are needed.

Literature

1. Lambin J.-J. Market-oriented management / trans. from English, ed. V.B. Kolchanov. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2006.

2. Deshpande R, Farly J. Measuring market orientation: generalization and synthesis // Journal of Market-Focused management. - 1988. - Vol. 2, #3.

3. Henning-Thurau T. Customer orientation of service employees: its impact on customer satisfaction, commitment and retention // International journal of service industry management. - Vol. 15. - Iss. 5.

4. Kohli A.K., B.J. Jaworski and A. Kumar. MARKOR: a measure of market orientation // Journal of marketing research. XXX-4.

5. Narver J. and Slater S. The effect of market orientation on business profitability // Journal of marketing. - 54 (4).

6. Ruekert R.W. Developing a market orientation: an organizational strategy perspective // ​​International journal of research in marketing.

7. Saxe R. and Weitz B.A. The SOCO scale: a measure of customer orientation of salespeople // Journal of market research. - Vol. 19.

8. Shapiro B.P. What the Hell is market-oriented? // Harvard business review. -1988. - Vol. 66

Tsyrenov Dashi Dashanimaevich, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Deputy Director of the Institute of Economics and Management, Buryat State University, e-mail: [email protected]

Daniel Strobel, program manager, Cultural Vistas (USA), e-mail: [email protected]

Tsyrenov Dashi Dashanimaevich, candidate of economic sciences, associated director in the Institute of economics and Management, Buryat State University, e-mail: [email protected]

Daniel Strobel, program manager, AIPT Cultural Vistas, USA, e-mail: [email protected]

We talk about approaches and examples of using customer focus in practice in this article.

You will learn:

• Without what elements is a client-oriented approach impossible?
• What benefits does a customer-centric approach bring?
• What approaches will help assess the company’s customer focus.
• What problems and “gaps” may arise in the company’s customer focus system.

With the right approach, customer centricity helps build customer satisfaction and loyalty, and also creates strategic business sustainability.

The essence of a customer-centric approach

Customer focus is a concept that has no clear definition in Russian and foreign literature. Summarizing its different interpretations, we can talk about customer focus as a strategic “superstructure” of a business, which is based on 4 elements:

• The orientation of goals and all activities towards customers, fixed in the mission, values, strategy and positioning of the company.
• Identifying customer needs and responding flexibly to changes in their behavior patterns, including those influenced by new megatrends, market and industry trends.
• Creating a customer experience at every stage of the customer journey that will exceed their expectations and shape their satisfaction.
• The company's focus on long-term relationships with consumers. This element is one of the basic postulates of the concept of customer relationship marketing. The business is focused on maximizing the number of repeat customer visits to the company. Their return for goods and services is stimulated again and again through the first three elements and the formation of loyalty.

Customer focus can be defined by the following formula: Customer Focus = Understanding the Customer + Caring for the Customer + Creating Customer Value

The basis of a customer-oriented approach is the respect of customers by the company and the trust of customers in the company. It is also important to talk about mutual benefit. In the case of consumers, they receive a consumer value that meets their expectations, as well as various tangible and intangible bonuses for repeatedly contacting the company. For the seller - a stable customer flow, formed not only by new customers, but also by a large base of regular ones.

Benefits of customer centricity for business:

• High rate of repeat requests and a large proportion of regular customers.
• The presence of a group of “advocates” of a brand or company, who voluntarily or for bonuses recommend products and services to their friends and acquaintances.
• Reducing consumer price sensitivity – when purchasing a product or service, they receive higher customer value than competitors. This leads to the fact that consumers stop responding to price increases (up to 15% on average).
• Saving marketing communications budgets through active word of mouth.

Mistakes of companies with a customer-oriented approach

The development of a customer-oriented approach is a business response to increased competition. However, often, having started with a focus on consumers, companies move to the level of price competition (offering only discounts), then all participants lose - sellers lose profitability, and consumers increasingly pay attention to the decline in the quality of goods and services. Enterprises are forced to compensate for the loss of profit by reducing production and personnel costs.

Another misinterpretation of customer centricity is blind adherence to the well-known slogan “The customer is always right.” In the pursuit of maximizing customer satisfaction, a business can get so caught up in trying to retain customers that the entire increase in profit will be covered by the costs of customer focus. If a company wants to stay ahead of its competitors, the customer must be right, but always to the benefit of the company itself.

Therefore, when thinking about implementing a customer-centric approach, you need to determine what additional value the business wants to provide to its customers and how much per retained customer it will cost it.

What to consider when implementing a customer-centric approach

I would like to draw your attention to 3 important points that need to be taken into account when deciding to implement a client-oriented approach:

• Customer focus is not expensive. It is cheaper to be a customer-oriented enterprise than to break through the huge flow of information noise surrounding modern consumers with the help of marketing communications. However, the costs will not always be material and also require a revision of work approaches, identification and elimination of “gaps” at the interface of departments, in the system of non-material motivation of personnel, etc. In other words, these are not only monetary, but also time costs.
• Customer focus is needed where there are direct or indirect (by phone, through feedback forms) communications between customers and staff. This means that it works best in the service sector. Good results are obtained from efforts to retain consumers in online commerce of all formats. If we talk about mass production, since communications are minimal, in this area other marketing tools come to the fore when building loyalty.
• The effectiveness of customer focus does not depend on the size of the business, but on the correctness of its “setting up”. This means that for small businesses it can become a low-budget, but very effective tool for competition.

Assessing the effectiveness of a client-oriented approach

To assess the level of customer focus, surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups, mystery shopper techniques or audits with the help of specialized companies are used. But despite all the attempts to digitize customer focus, there is still no unified methodology and it is unlikely that one will appear. The reason is simple - the expectations and their compliance with each client are subjective, individual and may even depend on the mood on a particular day of making a purchase.

One of the most popular assessment methods is the NPS (Net Promoter Score) loyalty index, which allows assessing the willingness of customers to recommend the company’s products or services to other consumers.

When assessing customer centricity in projects carried out for our clients, we look for answers to 4 questions that can be used in all markets:

• What is it like to be a client of a company? An understanding is formed of what needs, problems, fears and barriers customers have at each stage of their customer journey and how the company “responds” to each of them.
• How much does it cost to be a client of the company? We are talking not only about the cost of goods and services, but also about all other associated costs, including time. For example, how much time does a consumer spend getting to a company office through traffic jams? Or how much does it cost to service a car from competitors? Are there any risks that they will outbid the client?
• What keeps clients from leaving? It is necessary to understand what costs reduce consumers' desire to switch to competitors' offerings. For example, a convenient location of a fitness center, extended work hours (from 8 to 22, while competitors work from 10 to 21), “your” client manager or employee, negative reviews about competitors, etc.
• What keeps customers coming back again and again? In this case, the company needs to praise itself as much as possible, but against the background of competitors. It is necessary to identify factors that are truly significant for consumers, distinguishing the company from its competitors and encouraging them to make repeated choices in its favor. This question is similar to question 3, but takes a broader look at the customer journey.

To test the above technique, I recommend using it with services that you regularly use. Having tried it for yourself, you can then answer questions based on existing data or with the help of additional research.

Tools for a client-oriented approach

It is important to distinguish customer focus from its tools that are not:

• The presence of scripts, regulations (prescribed business processes) and service standards does not guarantee customer focus. Mechanically implemented standards without their adaptation to specific situations and customer requests cause more negativity than satisfaction. For example, the Teremok pancake chain is famous for its intrusive standards, which cause dissatisfaction among many St. Petersburg residents, as they have repeatedly stated.
• Loyalty program based only on discounts. Today, almost all companies have loyalty cards, but more than 90% of them are an attempt to attract customers with discounts of up to 10%. There are practically no unique programs that take into account the behavior and path of consumers.
• Availability of feedback and hotline, complaint management system and regular satisfaction assessment, which do not lead to any corrective actions. All these tools should become sources of valuable information about consumers and areas of growth for the enterprise, and not just for show.

“Gaps” in the customer-oriented approach system

It is also important to highlight the main problems and “gaps” in the customer-centricity system that companies may encounter:

• If a company invests in staff training, but the employees are poorly motivated, there is no need to talk about customer focus. This often happens in the premium auto business, when sales managers are forced to overcome their internal psychological barriers every day, working with customers who have a much higher income level than them.
• If even the best customer strategy is developed, but not communicated to employees or not understood by them, the company will not receive results in the form of increased satisfaction and loyalty. Customer-centricity is always based on people (client personnel), only then on procedures and tools.
• If staff are not motivated, implementing a new approach will not work. It is not uncommon for a new client strategy to entail an almost complete change of personnel. In this case, the emphasis is placed on the remaining customer-oriented employees, who, as a rule, are few in number, but they can be clearly identified by high sales figures, the presence of “their” client base and a large number of regular customers.
• If communication between departments is not established, all efforts to focus on customers may be in vain. This happens especially often between the “visible” and “invisible” zones. For example, even the best client manager can lose a client if the accounting department delays approval of the contract for a long time.
• If staff do not have acceptable boundaries for empowerment, nothing will fundamentally change for consumers.If a sales manager is forced to coordinate all his actions with the sales manager (for example, the size of a discount for a regular customer), time is lost during which the client can go to competitors. The same may apply to the return of goods, rescheduling or rescheduling a visit to a specialist, etc. It is necessary either to take such points into account as much as possible in the regulations, which is practically impossible, or to give staff the authority to resolve such issues on site.

An example of the impact of a customer-centric approach on business

There is a lot to be said about customer centricity, but the best way to demonstrate its impact on business is through the digitization of results. Below is an example of Dr. Shmilovich's Clinic (Alter Mental Health Center), where I am a guest marketing director (outside CMO).

We encountered the solution to the problem of customer focus at the stage of developing the strategy and positioning of the Clinic, understanding that this particular tool is the source of strategic competitiveness in this market. The development of the positioning was based on the results of the research (survey and in-depth interviews with clients, specialists and administrators of the Clinic, mystery shopper, competitive analysis and study of reviews on the Internet).

From a consumer point of view, the market for psychological and psychiatric services is one of the most complex and “delicate” markets in both the private and public segments. The major constraints to market growth are given below.

With such serious restrictions associated with consumer behavior, as the analysis showed, market players practically do not use marketing tools that would help overcome them.

The development of strategy and positioning began with building a customer journey. At the first stage, criteria for selecting specialists were identified by interviewing potential clients (patients) (Fig. 2).

The main selection criteria are recommendations from friends, acquaintances or colleagues. In other words, new customers in this market are the result of the customer focus of its participants. This was also confirmed by an analysis of the Clinic’s client base - about 90% of new patients come to it on recommendation, every third patient recommends the clinic and its specialists. With such peculiarities of consumer behavior, advertising is practically ineffective; the basis of promotion is “word of mouth”.

The study showed that on average, consumers search for “their” specialist for 3-6 months, while the vast majority of them find him within 3-4 times. This is another factor that reduces the level of trust in clinics. A hypothesis has been put forward (currently in the process of being tested) that more than 50% of people who have experience seeking services find themselves without medical care due to the termination of their searches.

Next, the customer journey was built, at each stage tasks were set, the solution of which would allow overcoming the fears and barriers of potential patients, creating a positive customer experience and loyalty through maximum consideration of the characteristics of consumer behavior. The model is based on the results of the study (Fig. 3).

A study of key competitors revealed another feature of the market - it is not customer-oriented from a marketing point of view. Apart from websites, minimal activity on social networks and minor PR activities, market players practically do not use any tools.

The following key “gaps” in the work have been identified:

• Competitors do nothing to reduce patient risks when choosing specialists. If they are not satisfied with the specialist, they are forced to either prove it in the legal field, or embark on a new search for “their” specialist. The administrator of one of the clinics, in response to a mystery shopper’s question about the possibility of choosing a specialist, replied: “Doctors are not grooms, there is no point in choosing them. Come and get treated." What kind of customer focus can we talk about here? In response to this research result, the Clinic will offer a so-called “test drive” - once during the treatment program, the patient can replace the specialist without losing money, giving reasons for his desire.
• Customers are interested in discounts, but only a few market players offer them. The decision is always made by the chief physician and only on an individual basis. At the same time, there are no loyalty programs even for regular customers. Considering that patients typically receive 5-10 consultations as part of treatment programs, this is a fairly significant cost for their budget. About 1/3 of the Clinic’s clients contacted it 3 or more times, so in response to this research result, the Clinic is introducing a loyalty program.
• Competitors' websites offer a large number of feedback forms. They work for almost everyone, but the answers are not always prompt (30-40 minutes). When asking for information on social networks, responses may take several hours to arrive. In most cases, the answers are formal, despite the high level of customer anxiety in this market. In many cases, when contacting an online consultant, feedback forms and social networks, links to site pages or materials are sent. When communicating with clinics by phone, the conversation is conducted primarily in the “client question – employee response” mode. In response to this research result, the Clinic will introduce a flexible telephone conversation script, which will allow removing as many fears and barriers as possible from clients already on the first call.
• Competitors have a large number of negative reviews online, on average such reviews are about 15-20%. Despite the specifics of the market (features of services), this is a very high indicator, and the main part of complaints falls on the lack of customer focus. A study of more than 300 reviews about the Clinic revealed only 12 negative reviews without detailing the negativity in them. Against the backdrop of a large number of negative reviews about competitors, this confirmed the correctness of the Clinic’s current activities and made it possible to determine a list of criteria for its positioning precisely on the basis of client-oriented differentiation from competitors.
• None of the competitors implements programs in the so-called “Refer a Friend” format, since satisfied patients, even if they are “lawyers” of the clinics, do not receive any bonuses for this. In this regard, the Clinic is currently implementing the “Circle of Support” program.
• Competitors use virtually no marketing promotions, despite the fact that they are widespread in all consumer markets. The specifics of the market do not imply the “frontal” use of discounts on services, however, it was decided to introduce discounts in the Clinic for consultations during the least busy hours (to even out the client flow), as well as discounts for visiting the Clinic on the day of the call for new patients (in this case, the client goes to any available specialist).

Above are only brief results of the study of the market of psychological and psychiatric services and models of consumer behavior on it, as well as the main directions of development of the Clinic of Dr. Shmilovich.

This example illustrates how market participants poorly use a client-oriented approach and how, with minimal investment, clinics can significantly improve their level of work with clients. The study showed that the Clinic “intuitively” uses client tools, which allows it to have an annual revenue growth rate of more than 15%. It is expected that the implemented recommendations, with a clear positioning and a clear strategy, will allow revenue to increase at the level of +30-40% annually in the coming years.

The market economy is growing every day, generating high competition in almost all areas of business. This leads to the fact that companies are in constant search for additional resources that increase profits.

With the development of the market for goods and services, the consumer society has expanded. Today, the client’s goal is not only to obtain the desired product: at the same time, he requires high service, comfort and convenience when purchasing. It is high service and absolute attention to the client’s needs that help attract the maximum number of consumers and, as a result, lead to an increase in the company’s profits.
Knowing this, many organizations have completely begun to change their approach to building a business. First of all, the company's goals were determined. What is more important: to quickly sell a product (service) and earn money, or to build a powerful business system with long-term prospects? If previously a company's competitiveness was determined by financial indicators, now the intellectual potential of a business is coming to the fore. This is how the concepts of customer focus, customer-oriented company and customer-oriented employee emerged.

Customer focus of the company: the essence of the concept

Customer focus is a set of activities aimed by the company at studying the desires of the client, satisfying his needs in order to generate additional profit.

There is an opinion that the concept arose recently and is a new direction in marketing. However, it is not. Elements of customer focus have always existed in business and trade, and this is confirmed by irrefutable facts. As an example, here is one of the ancient Chinese expressions: “A person should not open a store without a smile on his face.”

Henry Ford also wrote in one of his books: “The secret of my success is that I try to understand the other person and see things from their point of view.”

Marketing specialist M. Shimaguchi (Japan) said: “Modern marketing is love. Love for our consumers."

It is no coincidence that the concept of customer focus focuses on obtaining additional profit. If activities aimed at satisfying customer requirements do not bring additional benefits (for example, profits or competitive advantage), the company does not justify such costs.

Let's look at an example. You purchased a TV from a large company, but problems arose during connection and installation. You call the indicated numbers in order to resolve your issue as soon as possible. What do you hear on the phone? An answering machine voice asking you to wait your turn, since all operators are busy. Will you wait? Your first instinct is to hang up and never contact this company again.

Some organizations, providing customers with quality service and automating processes, already consider themselves customer-oriented, but this is far from the case. Of course, you can achieve excellence in providing service and gradually bring it to automation. However, in this case, service standards are pushed to the first level, relegating customer experience and loyalty to the background. The company’s efforts to automate the service lead to the fact that it does not see a specific client and loses the lion’s share of consumers.

Become better: principles of customer focus

To become a customer-centric company, it is not enough to offer high-quality service or spend a lot of money on a loyalty program. Customer focus is evident in every service segment. This is the company’s way of life, the correct structure of thinking of its employees, the company’s external and internal readiness to make maximum efforts to satisfy consumers.

On the path to developing customer focus, the company goes through three stages:

Development of high service – providing clients with professional service – the company as a customer service center.

The conditions for bringing an organization to the level of customer focus are presented by the following points:

• The participation of management, its belief in quality service and the possibility of individual work with each client.
• Financing. The development and implementation of the project will require significant investments. The head of the company must clearly understand that for the effective operation, productivity and long-term sustainability of this project, at its initial stage you will have to invest and even lose, but then receive dividends! For example, many companies, when a conflict arises with a buyer (exchange, return of goods), do not do this, thereby demonstrating zero customer focus, and a dissatisfied client no longer returns to the company. Moreover, he will give negative recommendations about the company to his friends.
• Regular improvement of service quality. When the service improves, many customers note that the quality of the product has also improved, although in fact everything remains the same. Proper work of employees, a high culture of service gives the client a correct understanding of the product, takes the company's prestige to a new level and increases sales.
• Systematic training of employees. By neglecting staff training, the manager ignores the main principle of the company’s success, which is the competent work of motivated, customer-oriented employees.
• Team relationships within. Each of the internal divisions of the organization should not exist separately or compete with the other. The coordinated work of all subsections, as a single mechanism of the company, is the key to its success.
• Everyone participates! Each employee of the company, regardless of his distance from the “line of communication with the consumer,” must understand that his work also affects the client’s perception of the overall quality of the organization’s service.

Let's give an example. The Planeta company works in the tourism industry, providing its clients with excellent service, and is constantly developing bonuses and special tour offers. However, the employee organizing the transfer to the airport does not work satisfactorily - the organization of buses is sluggish, and there are frequent cases of transport delays. Will the client be satisfied? Will he recommend this company to his friends? Of course not. Therefore, a customer-oriented company must understand that organizing the work of all its employees, without exception, is its primary task.

Customer first: customer orientation

Organizations that seek to fully automate customer service may experience significant profit losses and reduced customer flow. While automation was a strength not long ago, today it can be considered a competitive weakness as consumers these days are more inclined towards personalized service. It is for high service and an individual approach that the client is willing to pay today! Therefore, customer focus is the main goal of the company, which views its business as a long-term project.

The advantages of the company’s high service and properly constructed customer orientation are obvious:

• a satisfied consumer who is satisfied, one might even say, admires the company’s service, will definitely recommend it to his relatives, friends, and acquaintances;
• a satisfied consumer will become a regular, loyal customer of the company and will purchase more and more products of this brand;
• a satisfied consumer is willing to pay more (within reason, of course).

In order to maximize customer satisfaction, customer-oriented companies launch entire loyalty programs that help them increase customer attention, make profits and attract even more customers. As a result, a satisfied customer will definitely share his joy from receiving some bonuses in his environment, talk about it on social networks, on forums, and thus increase the flow of customers. A loyal customer is a value for the company. It helps improve the product, provides quality feedback, which helps improve product performance, service, and optimize business processes.

Let's look at an example. You purchased upholstered furniture from the Stella company. During the purchasing process, you looked through many catalogs; the company consultant helped you decide on the color, size, and characteristics of the furniture. Placing your order took a minimum of time, and the company provided you with free delivery and assembly. Are you satisfied and happy? Absolutely yes. A few days later you find out that your friend is also interested in buying furniture. Which company would you recommend to him? Of course, Stella! After a while, the company calls you and informs you that for attracting a client, you have been awarded bonuses in a certain amount for your next purchase. Well, it's time to update the furniture in the hallway!

Steps towards a big goal: introducing customer centricity

Of course, a large company will not be able to quickly achieve a high level of service. And it's not necessary. The main thing is to constantly work on the quality of service, improve services, and select competent, motivated employees. After all, a customer-oriented employee is happiness for the company and joy for the client!
First of all, a customer-oriented employee is a person who is able to maintain an optimal balance between the company, the client and his own interests. He loves his job, helps his clients, and gets sincere pleasure from it. Important qualities of this person are communication skills, a desire to be useful and provide exactly what the consumer needs. A client-oriented employee looks at everything “through the eyes of the client” and understands his requirements and positions. Therefore, a company interested in introducing customer focus in order to gain additional profit must select appropriate employees and regularly train them.

So, let's look at what exactly a company should do in order to become customer-centric:

• work only well, and nothing else, make every effort to satisfy the client (implementation of loyalty programs, bonus systems, special promotions);
• demonstrate to the client that with the help of her proposals he can solve his problem;
• conduct a survey of clients in order to find out shortcomings, analyze the work done and improve it;
• create a sense of trust among clients and pay attention to detail;
• select motivated, customer-oriented staff;
• do not forget about personal contact with customers (send them congratulatory letters, invite them to promotions, discounts) - “communicate” with them, because if you do not do this, competitors will “talk” to them;
• provide customers with products that meet or, better yet, exceed their expectations;
• conduct educational and entertainment events in any format – both online and offline;
• develop a marketing strategy through which customers will increase the frequency of their purchases (cumulative bonus programs, discounts on subsequent purchases);
• hold special client days;
• create a team to work with the client base;
• surprise customers, bring them joy from their purchase, make them happy!

A company that implements customer focus and regularly works to improve it receives many benefits:

• clients do not leave, but become permanent;
• profit increases;
• the number of clients who come to the company based on recommendations is growing;
• the number of complaints from customers is reduced;
• the company's popularity is growing;
• The Net Promoter Index (NPS) is high.

Of course, not all companies support the idea of ​​customer centricity. Most modern entrepreneurs believe that the client is “omnivorous” and therefore works with the goal of making a quick profit. In addition, implementation of the program requires additional funds, and companies are not ready for additional capital investments. However, the rules of customer focus apply! Customers dissatisfied with the service leave for competitors, and the company's profits are steadily falling.

Russian organizations were faced with the problem of the need to introduce customer focus at the beginning of the 2000s, and companies that could not adapt to a different consumption system simply left the market.

Today, many large organizations understand that for success it is not enough to have a loud brand, a “weighty” range of products and provide quality service. If your company doesn't think about customer loyalty, they will go to competitors and you will miss out on profits. If you miss out on profits, you risk losing your entire business. Successful implementation of the rules of customer focus will lead to the highest achievement - the creation of a cult product! And this is the path to fame, profit, customer trust, their endless devotion and “immortality” of your business!

"Customers for life"– this is not fiction, but reality, and this can be achieved with the help of the company’s customer focus!

High quality of service and great attention to the needs of the client contribute to an increase in the number of consumers and subsequently the company’s income. Knowing this, many companies have completely changed their approach to building a business and additionally began to use tools to increase the level of customer focus.

What is customer focus

From the very definition of “customer focus,” when parsing the word into two semantic parts, one can understand that the phrase implies “focus on the client,” or more precisely, on his needs. This is precisely the main idea of ​​the concept.

Customer centricity has several concepts that target market concepts. However, they all come to the conclusion that This is the firm's ability to provide a high level of customer service and the ability to increase revenue through its attitude and satisfaction of customer needs.

Whether the company is customer-oriented or not can be found out after the consumer contacts technical support, claims department or service. That is, the customer assessment helps to understand how much the organization pays attention to and satisfies the needs of its visitors.

To increase this indicator, the company must constantly modernize internal processes: hire qualified employees and train them efficiently, acquire and use tools for working with clients, develop and design offline and online points of contact. Every little thing in an organization is the building block of customer satisfaction.

Principles of customer focus

The company must observe and implement the basic principles that can increase the number of new, regular customers and profits.

Customer insight

Working on customer centricity involves a long-term and serious strategy, which includes analyzing the audience, dividing it into separate segments, designing the result between the organization and the client, and providing individual offers. All tools help to deeply understand those who contact the company. As a result, the analytics determines what the product, website, premises, technical support, advertising and much more will be like.

Most leaders should know that customer centricity is not just about smiling, and subsequently nothing should be created without understanding the needs of customers.

Customer care

Before you start working on this principle of being open to your audience's needs and concerns, it's worth considering what customer care looks like and involves.

• The external and internal appearance of contact points (including the online platform) is convenient, simple and understandable to the client.
• Employees recognize the visitor, know who he is, what company product he uses, and what he talked about last time with the consultant.
• The staff has flexible skills that allow them to feel the visitor and are happy to help him.
• After purchasing a product or service, communication with the client does not end. He is offered individual offers, additional services, a loyalty system and additional information on social networks or on the company website.
• Managers pay attention to reviews rather than write fake ones. A negative comment from a client encourages improvement of the company and elimination of negative aspects in it.

Motivated employees

Employees are an important part of a company, influencing most areas of the organization. They are the ones who care and understand visitors. Paying attention to internal customer focus is also necessary, because it is impossible to complete tasks without motivation.

Specialists must know the organization's policies and be privy to its culture. To do this, the manager needs to create an atmosphere where the employee feels important and valuable to the company and its clients. Without all this, the company will not rise to a new level and will not acquire the status of customer-oriented.

Motivated employees work not out of fear of losing their job and losing bonuses, but because they like their job and are willing to spend more time and effort. Every client feels when he is actually approached by a good-natured person who wants to help, and by someone who works under the wrath of a manager.

Types of customer focus

Customer focus is conventionally divided into two types: internal (employees) and external (company).

Finding customer-oriented staff is quite difficult. They are usually valuable employees who put customers, not the company, first. They have a high percentage of sales and have loyal and regular visitors. It is precisely such specialists who follow the figurative expression “The client pays you, not the manager.”

A customer-oriented company plans to remain on the market for a long time. To do this, the company develops rules and regulations for communicating with clients, learns and applies new tools for doing business. The big problem for managers is that they are initially focused on customers and profits. In fact, an important part in a customer-centric company is employees who follow a strategy to satisfy customer needs.

Customer Focus Assessment

Assessment is done in different ways.

• Conducting surveys, the results of which assess the level of customer focus of the company. Feedback and suggestions from visitors are always considered. It is recommended to conduct surveys every month.
• Organizing focus groups that evaluate the quality of service. This circle of people should include not only clients, but also managers and company personnel. Groups should be formed at least once a year.
• Inviting external specialists to conduct analysis among the company’s employees. As a result, consultants can recommend a new tool and approach to staff to improve customer focus.

Customer focus assessment occurs in two directions: employees and the company.

Companies

A company’s customer-centricity indicator is greatly influenced by its employees. In order to form personnel who will perform their work efficiently and, most importantly, satisfy the needs of clients, it is necessary to develop clear regulations for the behavior of employees when communicating with clients. Based on this information, the company must recruit, train and supervise employees.

To create rules, it is worth initially setting priorities in the company, including in case of conflicts with clients. For example, a buyer may ask for a refund or exchange for an item. By law, the seller is not always obliged to do this and does not do so. However, it is worth understanding that if you refuse to fulfill a visitor’s request, the organization will show that it is not customer-oriented. In the future, the client will not return again and will write a corresponding review on the Internet.

A customer-oriented company is aimed at long-term existence and brings stable profits to the owner

Employee

The level of customer focus of staff is determined by how they comply with the regulations and rules developed by the company when communicating with clients. But in addition, the employee must understand that the interests of the buyer are higher than their own needs, colleagues and employers.

A consumer-oriented employee is much more valuable in the labor market; his sales figures differ significantly from ordinary specialists, and accordingly his salary is higher.

The customer focus indicator is of great importance for a developing company. To increase it, you need to follow the advice of experts.

• It is worth making sure that the client returns and becomes a regular consumer of the company’s product.
• Constantly work to improve the quality of service.
• Don't make promises that won't be kept.
• Strive to ensure that there is always a positive response to a client’s request.
• There is no need to spend money on maintaining controllers that will monitor the work of employees. A customer-oriented company must ensure that each specialist will independently control himself when working with the buyer.
• The absence of complaints and negative reviews should be alarming. It is worth establishing feedback from clients who will help point out the company’s shortcomings.
• It is worth analyzing the actions of all the tools used by the company. Such actions will reveal which methods are effective and which hinder the development of the organization.
• It is important to remember that the level of an employee’s salary directly depends on their ability to work. Monetary reward is a motivation to work, and a motivated employee is the main point for increasing customer focus.
• Politeness when communicating with clients will help to avoid or solve many problems.
• It's normal to borrow effective customer service ideas from competing companies.

Examples of customer-oriented companies in various service sectors

The shops

When trying on items, the buyer will need a different size. In order not to be distracted from the task and not to change into his own clothes, the client can press a button in the locker room to call an employee who will bring the necessary item.

Banks

Canadian Bank Royal serves more than 18 million customers in 55 countries. The company is interested in studying its customers and testing the latest tools to improve the quality of service.
Recently, operators began to call their service consumers and ask the question: “We really value your trust and want to express our gratitude for remaining our client. Tell me, do you have any questions or problems?”

A year later, the company recouped all costs for the project, increased sales and the number of regular customers. A method that convinces the client that the company values ​​each of them will be relevant at all times.

Medicine

If we compare a public and private hospital for children, we will see that the state is not interested in attracting clients. A cramped corridor, a lack of toys and a room where a child could spend time while waiting in line, a shortage of seats for waiting for an appointment with a doctor - all this only repels visitors. However, the private clinic has a children's corner, a TV with cartoons, and new and safe furniture. Most parents will turn to a second company that is convenient for them and their child.

Restaurants

In the famous Italian restaurant “Pizza”, with the influx of the season, queues for tables form along the street. The wait can be up to 1 hour. To prevent the client from getting tired during this time, he is provided with chairs and free water.

Starbucks employees write the customer's name on every cup of coffee that a customer orders. This helps you remember the visitor and address him by name the next time he returns.

Customer focus through the eyes of the client

According to most people, certain companies attract them for several reasons:

Thus, customer focus is an important part for increasing profits and growing new and existing customers purchasing a firm's product or service. The main steps of the company are drawing up regulations for communication with consumers and motivating employees.

1. Why “the customer is always right” is not about customer focus
2. What are the main tasks of customer focus?
3. In what areas of business should customer centricity be applied?
4. What mistakes do managers make when implementing customer focus, and how to correct them

In the modern world, customer focus is literally a must have in sales. If this concept was not known in the 19th century, when anything was produced and simply sold, then today they know about it everywhere, but they forget to apply it. Let's talk in detail about the concept of customer centricity and its importance, and also look at all the pitfalls.

What is customer focus

What is customer centricity? This is a focus on the consumer in order to identify and further satisfy his needs. At the same time, high customer focus implies a desire to exceed customer expectations and impress them.

If we consider the concept within the framework of practical application in business, then customer focus consists of special actions designed to “make the consumer happy” and inspire trust. The level of customer focus directly affects the loyalty of customers who, with due attention, not only become regulars, but also recommend your products to friends and relatives.

Interesting fact! The word customer focus does not exist as such. This is a Russian translation from English customer-oriented. To be literal, it turns out to be “customer-oriented”.

Each marketing tool is designed to perform a specific function. Customer centricity is no exception. At the same time, the effectiveness of the tool is not limited to motivating consumers to make more frequent purchases.

Thus, customer centricity has many strengths. You can feel these advantages when calculating profits. However, there is also a flip side to the coin regarding customer focus - becoming such an organization is quite difficult.

In Russia, most companies have not achieved the proper level of customer focus, despite the use of expensive advertising, automation of business processes and the presence of a large staff of marketers. There is also no good service: the buyer can be rude, offered a low-quality product, and even violate the law. Of course, you won’t want to return to such a company.

So, what is customer centricity in selling? These are marketing methods and tools that are used in combination to increase the profitability of a business. In such organizations, staff strives not only to satisfy the needs of consumers, but also to guess their desires in advance.

On a note! The use of individual marketing tools (measuring the customer goodwill index, developing loyalty programs, implementing scripts and automated systems) does not mean that the company is completely focused on consumers. It is the integrated use of these methods that is true customer focus.

An example of how NOT to behave with clients

Mikhail Dashkiev, co-founder of Business Youth:

In Business Youth, for example, there is a quality department that listens to 1000 calls and identifies violations of corporate standards, applying fines and sanctions to employees.

Here is an example of how NOT to behave with clients:

I also heard about “A Million for a Hundred”. I read a little, but probably it’s not for us at all?

Well, of course, you can’t decide on coaching at this price. What do you think of “A Million for a Hundred”? You understand, the amounts are large. And in general there is no competence and reason to explain this program to you, because other managers are doing this. I'm not responsible for her at all.

I see... That is, there is no reason to explain, right?

Well, you understand, we are now at a different stage. Your business is at the coaching and intensive level, especially since you haven’t decided on a niche yet.

Yes, I don’t have one at all. What kind of business is there...

Well, what can we talk about here? I also have absolutely no reason to explain, it doesn’t do anything for me... Here... (yawn). So, here's the thing.

Well, okay. Thank you very much... I'll think about it.

The main thesis is that if you don’t hear something like this at home and in your company, then most likely you haven’t checked it, you haven’t looked into it.”

Reaching the next level is easier than it seems. Make sure of this now -

Myths about customer-centric organizations

Each company has a different attitude towards customer focus and puts acceptable principles into the concept, perceiving the ideas of this approach in its own way. This often leads to distorted ideas. The client-oriented approach has become overgrown with various misleading myths. Let's look at the main ones.

Myth 1: Customer focus is inherent in companies that work with consumers.

Let us immediately make a reservation that we should not equate the concepts of “client”, “buyer” and “consumer”. They are completely different in their meanings.

The client is the position from which all types of commercial organizations work (both in the B2B and B2C spheres). At the same time, it is immediately clear that a company with a better business will have better clients.

However, a company's customer focus is determined not by the presence of consumers as such, but by a value exchange strategy. The company is the initiator of this process, so it is the representatives of the organization who should strive to ensure that the client makes a purchase. To do this you can:

• Place a bid on a product. When there was a shortage of goods on the market, the approach worked 100% for exchange. However, as the range and choice of companies expanded, this factor began to act differently. Now the rate functions only when there is high demand, the appearance of unique products, or when exchanging goods with an attractive set of characteristics for buyers.
• Place a bid on the seller. In other words, on the reputation and fame of the company itself, when you can rely on the achieved position in the market, advantages in the process of managing commodity exchange. Leading positions in the market are occupied by organizations that are part of this group and are competitive.
• Place a bid on the buyer. If the company does not have the above advantages, you can always make an exchange with the help of the consumer himself.

The first and second approaches belong to the “force” group, where the buyer is faced with a seemingly forced choice. The third method is based on removing resistance from the consumer. The effect can be achieved through customer focus. That is, the company’s offer must best meet the client’s needs, then he will make a choice in its favor.

To implement this approach, it is important to correctly understand the needs of your clients. You need to know who they are and why they are willing to buy your products. It is necessary to analyze what to do to return the client and purchase the product again.

All activities of the company and the system of its functioning must be subordinated to a single idea - providing maximum value to the best customers in its segment. At the same time, consumers are the focus of the company's attention. Based on this “centering”, customer focus is built.

Myth 2: Customer focus is simply “in fashion”.

Many people wonder how long customer-centricity will remain popular. The answer is simple - as long as this tool meets the needs of both business and consumers.

Any company that operates in the market pursues one goal - to make the most effective and profitable exchange with other subjects of the market space by investing resources in the creation or purchase of its products and their further promotion. At the same time, business owners want not only to return the invested funds, but also to increase them by increasing profits. To solve the problem effectively, it is necessary to choose tools taking into account the characteristics of the market situation.

The modern Russian market is characterized by a dynamic saturation of product supply, intensive growth of competition and the transformation of the “seller’s market” into a “buyer’s market”. Due to the fact that the key factor in the exchange is now determined by the role of the buyer, not the seller, customer focus is a relevant tool for all areas of business. After all, consumers have a certain “buying power”, thanks to the wide selection of different goods, services and supplier companies they receive.

Basic principles of customer focus

In order for the service to really be at its best, you need to know the basic principles of achieving true customer focus:

• It is necessary to find out, understand and satisfy customer needs.
• It is important to build comfortable communication with customers, based on trust and mutual respect.
• It is worth selling products that truly meet customer expectations and even exceed them.
• Organizational leaders must be prepared to communicate with clients personally if necessary.
• The company must be flexible and change in accordance with the needs and expectations of customers.

To summarize everything, we can say that customer focus is an entire strategy based on good service and constant feedback. It is these two aspects that allow you to retain customers. Enough to move directly to the tools themselves to improve customer focus.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that a customer-oriented approach is not relevant for all companies at a certain point in time. Some organizations need to first attract customers, and only then deliberately work to create customer centricity.

In general, everyone needs this approach. Despite the large number of rumors that customer focus is necessary only for those who work in highly competitive niches, and small businesses, startups with innovations and monopolistic companies do not have to think about it, any organization needs to work on building good relationships with customers.

Monopolists can disdain good service only up to a certain point, because sooner or later a worthy competitor will appear. And dissatisfied consumers will immediately run to him. In the case of startups, good service and customer focus will allow for a more “strong start.” Small companies should especially value each client, because with the help of word of mouth the client base will expand.

So, customer focus is necessary for everyone. It remains to be understood exactly to what extent? Everything here is individual. There is no need to reduce marketing only to good service, forgetting about other aspects of the business. Even the best service is not enough to retain customers. Therefore, strive to do as well as possible, but not perfectly.

Criteria for a company's customer focus

Marketing defines a customer-oriented company as a company where employees identify the needs of the audience in a timely manner and satisfy them with their products and (or) services.

Mandatory customer focus criteria:

1. Having an ongoing cycle of cooperation with customers, long-term commercial relationships, ensuring regular purchases by a group of loyal customers.
2. Loyal customers recommend the brand to other market participants (their friends and relatives, for example).
3. The company creates personalized offers for each individual consumer segment. In addition, there is individual service (consultants, customer service managers, etc.). It is best to divide managers into two groups: some will work with new clients, others with regular customers, thereby strengthening relationships and loyalty, increasing the company’s customer focus.
4. Regular monitoring of customer preferences through marketing research. The interests of consumers are at the forefront of brand policy. The idea is simple - determine what customers need and give it to them.
5. Strong relationship with customers (customers will be more loyal if they respond to requests and questions in a timely manner).

Let's give an example: For an IT company, prompt technical support is of particular importance, because no one wants to lose money due to unstable software, and then wait for several days for help from a specialist and try to solve the problem on their own, looking for advice on forums.

Another important criterion is corporate culture, or rather, work on it. Even if the product itself is constantly improving, but salespeople work irresponsibly (forget to call clients, communicate rudely with buyers), there will definitely not be any positive result.

Customer focus of staff is the ability of each employee of the company to take responsibility. With the right approach, employees must be proactive, be able to work in a team, avoiding conflicts with both colleagues and clients. Such employees are ready to learn, value new knowledge and welcome the introduction of modern technologies (business automation).

Let's move on to the features of the practical implementation of a client-oriented approach. There are two levels of customer focus: internal and external.

• Customer-oriented employee (internal level).

The true value of any company. Such human resources are highly valued in the labor market. The employee puts above all else not the company management and brand reputation, but the client.

And it is right. Employees think like this: “The client pays the money, not the manager.” It is quite difficult to correctly assess the customer focus of individual employees, so it is not always possible to discern a truly good sales manager. If you manage to attract such an employee to your staff, he will be the one who will have the most loyal and regular clients.

• Customer-oriented company (external level).

Such organizations are focused on long-term stay in business. For this purpose, the company develops special scripts and regulations, and establishes rules for communicating with clients.

However, it is impossible to see everything in advance. Therefore, organizational leaders should prioritize not just developing a strategy with scripts, but also cultivating in every employee the desire to build good relationships with consumers. This is where the difficulty lies: most firms pay attention specifically to customers and making a profit, rather than working with staff.

Let us highlight the main advantages provided by customer-oriented employees:

• The consumer remains satisfied when all his needs are satisfied. Moreover, delighted with good service, he will recommend your brand to everyone he knows.
• A customer who is satisfied with the purchase and the communication process will most likely return and make purchases more often and in increasing volume.
• A satisfied consumer will pay more for your product and/or service. However, be careful and remember reasonable limits.

In addition to all of the above, a loyal customer begins to share useful information (for example, talk about competitors), which means he helps improve products and optimize business processes. You will be able to increase the value of the product you offer.

A sense of proportion is important in everything, including customer focus. Sometimes employees can harm a company by being overly protective of consumer interests. For example, the seller does not believe in the quality of the product and dissuades the buyer from purchasing it. Forming the seller's disposition towards the product is the task of management. Company management must understand that they should not focus on clients and forget about employees. Internal policy within the framework of customer focus is very important.

How to increase the flow of clients in a narrow niche:

Action program for introducing customer centricity

1. Determine the direction.

   It is important to understand the main focus - on the client or on making a profit. The buyer may remain dissatisfied with the purchase and request an exchange or return. According to the law, you have the right to refuse. However, customer focus provides its own approach in which the manager will fulfill the client’s request.

2. Count customer churn.

   Unfortunately, customers leave, and if this happens, something definitely needs to change. Customer churn is the main indicator of the quality of your service. To track this indicator, it is best to use modern CRM systems.

3. Exceed customer expectations.

   In reality, everything is not as easy as in words, but it is possible. For example, in retail, use a simple trick: give each customer a chocolate bar with their purchase. This will be a pleasant surprise for the buyer, and will not harm your finances much.

4. Don't collect feedback using questionnaires.

   Never use primitive questionnaires, this tool is absolutely not informative! As a rule, clients are simply too lazy to answer questions, and even if they fill out a questionnaire, they try not to offend and write only positive reviews (answers).

5. Deal with angry (chucked) customers.

   True customer centricity requires staff and leadership to be willing to deal with angry and frustrated customers. At the same time, in conflict situations, the director should always take the initiative. Such attention to the buyer will help “smooth out the corners.”

6. Change the staff motivation system.

   To increase your staff's customer focus, come up with a reward system. For example, introduce material bonuses. Other motivations are also suitable, the main thing is to understand what will really please your employees.

Let us remind you once again that quality service is not the main sign of customer focus. Even if the service is of the highest class, brought almost to the point of automation, you can simply not notice your customers. After all, the main focus is on service standards (speed, accuracy, productivity, and so on). In fact, the work system resembles a conveyor belt. This will not please the client and is unlikely to leave him with a good impression.

This approach to organizing work does not always allow you to attract new customers and inspire their loyalty. Sometimes it is important to be able to provide an individual approach, in which communication with clients is not reduced simply to formalities, as happens in large companies with conveyor service.

Mistakes when managing customer centricity

In the process of managing customer centricity, some mistakes can be made:

• Trying to think for others. Choose the right motivation methods for different people. It is impossible to understand exactly what your target audience wants. Ask about it. Remember that customer focus exists where people can be heard.
• Lack of effectiveness of the tools used. Don't use methods that don't work. Choose the best solutions for your industry and brand. By choosing the optimal channel for communication with customers, you will be able to provide strong feedback and effective promotion of your product and (or) service.
• Ignoring necessary changes. In Russia, everyone is used to working according to established rules. Most often, the scheme is simple: the manager gives orders, and ordinary employees carry them out. Often the result of the work is not controlled.

Customer focus must be real, and not just “for show” and in words. Only then will you attract many new loyal customers.

Remember that customer focus in an organization depends on the managers. No matter what you create or what product you produce, always keep your customers in mind! Properly organized interaction with the target audience will allow you to create ideal products. Feedback is not only an expression of your customers' opinions, but also the key to positive change in your business.

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