The only function of companies has long since ceased to be the sale itself and the benefit derived from it. It is now known that they are also social actors in the environments in which they interact and that, for this very reason, it is necessary for them to develop a customer-focused strategy at all stages of the process.
In addition, customers increasingly dominate the market and want their demands, doubts, and requests met swiftly.
Customer orientation: what is it and what is its usefulness?
The definition of customer orientation goes far beyond that maximum that you have surely heard sometime, according to which, whatever you do and whatever you think, “the customer is always right.”
In fact, it is not only about covering the post-sale phase. Customer orientation has to do with all those actions that are carried out in the organizational areas to consider the repercussions of products on customers, especially what refers to their interests and expectations.
Therefore, it is not surprising that a good number of companies link the areas of human resources and marketing to this purpose, whose joint work is vital to knowing how to meet what consumers demand.
How to implement a customer orientation strategy
The actions that make up a customer orientation strategy deserve a significant degree of planning and study. Once those responsible for the two previously mentioned areas have been integrated, the following involves implementing actions such as:
- Know in depth the profile (or profiles) of customers. How do you intend to meet the needs of your customers at any stage of the sales process if you have not stopped to investigate who they really are? In fact, there may be more than one consumer profile, and you still don’t know it.
- Have a good response capacity. You should spare nothing when it comes to developing a customer-focused strategy: infrastructure, resources, innovation, experience management, etc.
- Instill the philosophy from the top down. Customer orientation must permeate the entire organization. No sector or location should be unaware of the topic.Assume this requires changing the organization’s mission and vision.
- Be transparent and honest. These are the two most important values on which you should base your customer-orientation strategy. Consumers do not expect less of you, so you must be up to the task. Any information you give or any attention you provide has to be guided by values like these. Remember that if you fail to comply with them, you question the ethics of your brand and the prestige that guarantees its position in the market.
It is worth adding that an essential aspect of any business depends on customer orientation: consumer loyalty to a brand.
