Customer Centric – Are you selling a solution that your client base needs?

Before we begin this blog, we’re going to make a promise that we’ll try to avoid using the terms ‘pivot’ and ‘unprecedented’. In light of the last year or so, we feel that most people are sick of those terms. We understand that it may be difficult to write about changing business offerings to meet the needs of your client base without them, but we also acknowledge that this is what our readers need. After all, if you stop reading now, how will you know if we manage our task and find out about how focusing on your customers can help your business grow and become more profitable? 

Client need vs company profits? 

There’s a common misconception that you can only have one or the other, that either profit come first, or customers do. We’d like to argue that the most successful businesses actually do both and that it is vital that companies consider putting their clients at the core of their businesses. After all, without customers, where would your business be?  

Customer centric businesses go far beyond just providing excellent customer service. Instead, they embrace the idea that a purchaser’s opinion of the business starts at the very moment that they become aware of it and continues long after they have completed the transaction. They work hard to keep their client base because they realise that acquiring new customers is far more expensive than retaining their existing ones.  

How can you become a more customer centric business?

Talk to and engage with your existing client base 

Things have changed and your customers’ needs may have done so too. While everything may be on a route back to some kind of normality, it’s also vital to remember that your clients may have realised that they need different services and products from you. One of the best ways to find out whether they have new needs is to ask them directly. You can do this via social media channels or questionnaires sent out to your email lists.  

The key aspect of this interaction though is that you must listen to and digest any feedback that they give. If they suggest that they want changes, consider how you will go about implementing them. They don’t have to be immediate but knowing that a business has listened is one of the best ways of retaining a customer.   Our blog on community management may be of interest to you.

Are there other opportunities and markets that you may be missing? 

It’s also wise to consider if there are now new markets and opportunities emerging that you may currently be missing. For example, the pandemic, lockdowns, and isolation have increased the number of over-55s shopping and interacting online. Clever brands have embraced this, introducing social media advertising and branding that fits in with a demographic that was previously difficult to access. 

Reconsider your marketing strategy and content 

With any realignment, no matter how small, it’s essential that you revisit your marketing strategy and ensure that your content reflects your new offering. NAMA are firm believers that marketing and business strategies go hand-in-hand, so it stands to reason that if you are considering offering a new service or changing how you operate, your marketing will need to reflect that.  

Within this shift, you could also consider using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool, which can inform you about your customers’ buying behaviours and interests alongside pinpointing products or services that may suit your best customers.  

Speak to some experts 

Well, we think we managed it. A whole blog about changing and adapting businesses to reflect the changes the pandemic has brought whilst avoiding those two overused words; focussing on what the customer needs (becoming customer centric). If you’d like to speak to some experts about how you to make your company more customer centric, we’d love to hear from you.