customer-centricity

I recently completed a project for Philips Lighting on the ways hotels should reshape themselves to be successful in the future. As part of the research I came across this brilliant video by futurist Patrick Dixon on the way many business hotels seem to "get it wrong" when it comes to delivering a quality experience for their customers. If you think about it, most of the things he talks about are "rather obvious". Also, as any frequent traveler can testify, they have been around for ages. 

Ever since I've first learned to work with it in 2007, I had a thing for NPS.  There are many who tell me it isn't the most scientific of measures, but in our 80/20 world it is still the most effective and actionable customer system I've ever seen. 

I spend a large part of my professional life telling companies that if they truly take their customer's interests to heart, these customers will reward them with their business, their recommendations and their support. But even though I preach this gospel, I have to admit that I never really understood the impact of super-promoters until I experienced it around my book "So You Want to Be Customer-Centric?".

When interviewed for my book So You Want To Be Customer-Centric, Georges-Edouard Dias of L'Oréal pointed out the opportunity to truly improve the customer experience in many traditional supermarkets.  In his view: “Many stores today aren't really user-friendly. You need to drive there and park far away from the entrance. When you get inside, it's hard to find the information you're looking for. There are too many products to get a clear picture, and the staff aren't always much help either. Not to mention that even if you know exactly which product you want to buy, it may not be in stock.”

For the past few years I've been quite active in the field of customer-centric marketing and management. I had the privilege of working with the likes of Philips, ING, Lexus, L'Oréal, Sanoma and many others on projects which touched every part of our globe.

Later this month September, Fred Reichheld and Rob Markey are launching their new book The Ultimate Question 2.0, a sequel to the earlier bestseller that brought us the Net Promoter Score and the knowledge that “happy customers make you more money”. 

by: Guy Kawasaki 

by: Alain Thys

For a publishing project at one of my clients I've currently been given the joyous task of rereading all the marketing classics. While this is fun at first, I can assure you that after the combined works of Kotler and his colleagues you're craving for some War & Peace as light reading.

by: Jennifer Rice

There's a terrific article in this month's Harvard Business Review entitled "Customer-Centered Brand Management." (You can purchase and download the article here for $6.)

by: Jennifer Rice