By: Carlos Fernandez

Terms such as “customer focus“, “customer centric” or “customer oriented”, to name the path that many companies began to take, in various ways, with more or less budget.

However, it is observed that in most cases the objective is not achieved. transform the company in a customer-focused company.

In recent years, companies called “digital natives” They interpreted that understanding the customer and giving them the service they expect was vital to survive, given that in the digital world choosing a product or service is just a click away.

This trend not only impacted the environment of companies that operate in the digital field but also all industries.

It is new “consumer” profile He discovered that he could complain according to his expectations and, if not, decide on another provider.

Maybe not through a click, but through any of the communication channels of the companies.

The paths of transformation

Given this trend, companies began to follow the different paths of transformation, which are evident more quickly in some industries than in others, such as insurance.

In this industry, companies do everything possible to contact new customers, show them the benefits of a product.

But at the time of a call from the client Due to some need for coverage or an inconvenience that he had, they make him travel multiple paths that if they have no exit, that end up exhausting him and that in many cases ends with the cancellation of the service.

We usually hear responses like: “that's in clause 32 b so we're sorry,” or “it wasn't our problem, it was one of our suppliers,” or “we understand, but it was a technical issue.”

These answers may be understandable, but today The client requires help to resolve a problem and not that the reason why he cannot be helped is explained to him.

The case of the insurance industry is one, but not the only one, Similar situations are observed in different industries and sometimes even it's hopeless.

Interactions between the client and the company

Although, there are successful cases. Recently, in a financial services company They told me their story of transformation that they have been going through for 10 years, putting the customer at the center.

And this led them to be the largest bank in their country and also a digital native, which at the last annual board meeting approved changing its focus from “product-centered” to “customer-centered.”

We also know that not all possible inconveniences that customers may have in interactions with the company can be foreseen.

But we must work on how have several options to resolve quickly, leaving the customer satisfied. And then get to work on preventing it from happening again.

This may seem simplistic, but it is not, because it requires the company's decision to put the customer at the center and all areas of the company looking towards them, both contact and support areas. And start identifying:

• Where are the service gaps.
• Which of the areas cannot respond as they should.
• What do those areas need from others to respond?
• Review everything in a multidimensional way: organizational, skills, technology, data, processes, culture, etc.

The pain generated in the client

Many companies work on responding to the customer, which on a daily basis leads them to focus on the contact areas, and then fail in the support areas.

Or they worry about how a salesperson served them in a “call center” or in one area of ​​complaints, but fail in other areas or in the resolution of the problem itself.

It is a long road that has no end given that the needs and preferences of our clients grow and change constantly.

For example, today many require their service providers to be sustainable companies and that forces the company into a new transformation.

However, the path must begin by identifying the greatest pain that we cause to our clients, What are the primary and secondary areas? and what dimensions should be addressed.

This is how the first initiatives are defined and priorities are assigned to begin the journey and build a differential that gives the company a better position with its clients and their recommendations. Your company: Is it really customer focused? Have you already started to go through the steps of this continuous transformation to be the client's favorite?

See it also at: iProfessional – Technology Section – Analysis