The first steps to becoming customer-centric
Meet Frank, the CEO of a large service company (pick your sector: retail, telecom, hospitality, banking, insurance, technology etc.). At the top of his scorecard: some customer related indicator: NPS, love factor etc. On the hallways of his company: the customer-centric vision statement in block letters. But in his office, in the meetings, and in the real corporate work there is no customer present. Just the usual blocking and tackling of the daily corporate life.
Indeed, Harvard Business Review cites a CMO Council report in that “only 14 percent of marketers say that customer centricity is a hallmark of their companies, and only 11 percent believe their customers would agree with that characterization.” At the same time, the Temkin Group research shows a 70% ROI within 3 yrs of investing in customer experience for companies with 1bln annual in earnings. More similar stats: here, here, and here.
I personally have not yet met a corporation, that doesn’t have a customer-centric intention for the immediate future. But just as for Frank, good intentions don’t always add up to actions. Many times, they remain a bold statement on a hallway. Empty.
But if it makes so much sense to be customer-centric why do so many companies make it to a hollow statement?
First of all, a remark: the customer is a human being. Being customer-centric is being human-centric. Being customer centric is being human-centric. (yes! right, I wrote it twice, it’s so important)
And just as customers are humans (not age groups or genders), employees are also humans. Employee-centric means human-centric, too.
Being human-centric is damn hard because it uses a different area of the brain than the one we usually use at the office (amygdala versus neocortex). Human-centric is emotion-centric; to be emotion-centric or empathic is simply not the “proper reasoning” (as in using the brain functions we usually use to reason). Processing emotions is not reasoning. It’s feeling. And at some corporates, feeling over reasoning can lead to outright dismissal.
Status and the safety zone of the corporate office is yet another barrier to being human-centric. It’s much nicer to spend the day with the crowd you’ve known for a while, sharing most of your values and life status, and having intellectual conversations. Sometimes, these conversations are about market or consumer research data. But they still purely stay in the “reasoning” area of our brain. Reading market research IS NOT feeling with your customer.
Ultimately, human-centric is out of your shoes and into someone else’s shoes. That’s uncomfortable. That’s why it’s hard. And that’s why only some really make it.
How does human-centric look like? Think about the last time you met your best friend and had a chat. Where you able to listen fully and immerse yourself in her story? Well, that’s about it. Simpler said than done. It requires undivided attention, full listening, and trust in what’s being said. It’s also responding with encouragement and with simple gestures like compliments, smiles, and even a hug.
Can I do it? Anyone can. Any company, any person. The simplest way is to get out of the office and talk to someone randomly, not about business. About them as people. Who are they? (as in real people, not professionals). What has been their day like? (usual, better, worse?) Where did they park the car? Where do they take their children to school? What’s their dog name? And anything you’d talk to your best friend about. Being human-centered means exactly that, center all your attention on the human, not on the professional, the buyer, the seller or any of the other business aliases she may represent. It’s the person right in front of you. Or to your left. Or to your right.
Before you quickly move to the next article, lift your eyes from the screen and smile to someone close by. Here you go. You made the first step.
You can make more steps to becoming customer-centric at our workshop: Design Thinking Starter — where we created a safe zone to meet strangers, empathize with them, and make something meaningful for them. You’re welcome!
