It can be hard to chart a course for your business in the post-pandemic age. Many businesses have survived by the skin of their teeth, whether kept alive by government subsidy or by a loyal customer base. But with money drying up for many households, businesses are vying for their profit share. So how can you compete? The answer may be in changing your business strategy entirely…
What Do We Mean by Customer-Centric?
When we talk about utilising a customer- or client-centric strategy with regard to your business, we are talking about a conversion of your business’ culture away from the inward looking navel-gazing of structure and growth, towards a culture which literally centres the customer experience. Customer-centric models recognise that a business’ client base is the business’ raison d’etre, not the product or service it provides.
Make An App For Your Business
Creating an app shows you care about your customers. People are stuck to their smartphones these days so creating a cell phone app can make a huge difference to how customers interact with your business. Whether you’re offering a product or service an app can take you to new heights. It shows your client base that you’re paying attention to them and focusing on their needs, meaning they’ll be more likely to trust you. If you feel like you’re ready to make an app for your business then you should approach development firms and price up what you need. You can always get it made cheaper abroad. Just be sure to remember that you’ll sacrifice elements of quality if you get it done for a cheaper price elsewhere. Ensure you focus on consumer needs, ease of use, and speed.
How Do Customer-Centric Business Practices Help?
The idea of adopting a customer-centric business model can be bristling to many business owners, especially those unfortunate enough to have worked in the bottom rung of the hospitality industry; the old refrains of “the customer is always right” have dated poorly, and rightly so. However, a customer-centric model does not centre the customer’s opinion, but instead their experience. Paying attention to opinions is a reactive model, but thinking about the customer’s experience with your business ahead of time enables you to be pro-active – resulting in greater customer retention and loyalty, as well as a slicker on-boarding process for prospective customers.
What Customer-Centric Practices Can We Undertake?
If you have an existing customer base, their input can be invaluable to your business – without a descent into people-pleasing or loss-leading in order to keep a minority happy. Leverage your existing customers by operating optional surveys at your online or in-person checkouts, with questions tailored to the customer experience of your business. The data collected can be used to optimise problem points of your front end, and increase customer satisfaction at the base line.
Another way to address customer engagement is with the employment of professionals. Consultants well versed in customer service can advise you on steps to take to streamline your user experience, creating a significant return on investment in the process.
Improving Accessibility
Customer-centric strategy doesn’t begin and end with customer-facing parts of your business. The strategy needs to be adopted wholesale – from the approachability of your technical support team to the implementation of alternative payment methods with open banking platforms. Accessibility is a key route to customer satisfaction, whether you are fulfilling a need or streamlining a process.