Customer Focus
It is not for nothing that customer focus is at the top of the list of key principles of Total Quality Management.
Customer focus is vital to business success and companies who recognise and embrace this concept are the ones that thrive and prosper.
Many companies think they know what the customer wants or needs and adopt a sales-oriented approach, concentrating on selling what they perceive are the benefits a customer wants.
However, customer focus is much more than thinking you know what a customer wants or needs and striving to provide your vision of their requirements.
Customer focus involves total immersion in the needs of the customer, effectively putting yourself in the customer’s shoes and looking at your product or service through their eyes, to see what they are seeing.
You need to get inside their head to really understand what motivates them, what are their aspirations and what they want from you.
Qualitative and quantitative research play important roles in gaining the necessary insight to customer requirements and provide valuable guidance on what changes or refinements could be made to improve the product or service in order to increase customer satisfaction.
There are many mechanisms for conducting the research and the precise mix of techniques will vary from company to company and type of product or service offered and therefore must be determined individually.
When the customer is satisfied or, better still, delighted with your product or service they will continue to deal with you and refer others to you, in effect becoming a powerful champion for your business. Personal referrals from a satisfied customer are one of the most impactful and cost-effective marketing methods available.
A strong customer focus and a commitment to researching customer requirements are also likely to initiate ideas for new product or service opportunities which could further strengthen the company’s market position and image as well as its profit potential.
Focusing on the customer and being recognised as a company that genuinely wishes to act in the best interest of the customer, is a powerful and effective method of increasing market share, enhancing corporate reputation and boosting overall company success.