Three years ago, when I resigned from my job and started an entrepreneurial journey, I was as clueless as they come. My business was struggling. My capital was drying up, and my resources were exhausted.
It seemed inevitable that my business would end up as just another statistic on the list of failed startups. That is when I met my business mentor, and what he said changed my perception of business. “Your brand should be customer-centric.”
I always thought a customer-centric approach meant “low profit.” But I was wrong. If you are a business owner facing low turnout, experiencing stumpy profits, and a sinking customer retention rate, keep reading.
Within this article, we will look at some of the simple tricks that can help you transform your business from a profit-centric beat to a customer-centric business.
Top 5 Tricks to Craft a Customer-Centric Business Approach
1- Ask Your Customer
I have spent more than $80k on professional training. Nearly every employee in my company has at least 2-3 professional certificates. After this investment, you can understand my disappointment when I did not notice any improvement in company profit and team productivity.
That’s when I started learning from big companies that are well-known for customer-centric approaches. A Fortune 500 company like Optimum have cracked this code already. For instance, Optimum has a huge presence in the US. Although most of the US audience is English-speaking, there is also a huge Spanish-speaking community as well. To ensure that the Spanish community feels equally valued, the company has a dedicated customer service number. Customers can not only seek technical and product guidance but also benefit from Optimum español pagos online.
2- Stay Available
Your customer is trying to reach out to you but you only have a number for CS. Once the customer calls, he has to wait for hours just to get in contact with the agent. This can be very frustrating for a customer. In this day and age, customers switch if they do not feel valued by a business.
To ensure that your customers feel valued, staying available is the only option. Nearly every good brand in the market offers 24/7 customer support.
Following the example I quoted earlier, Optimum also offers 24/7 customer support. This initiative has helped Optimum stay ahead of the curve, serve their targeted customers, and ensure a high retention rate. Your brand’s availability should not just be restricted to a specific time and day. If you want to be truly customer-centric, create an Omni-channel experience and stay available on every channel.
3- Impress Your Online Audience
Before someone chooses your product, they will go online to check its public rating. I am guilty of that, and I am sure you must have done that as well.
Most companies have just a solid online presence; they have their channels and pages ready but are not active. If you are making the same mistake, this is the time for you to step up your game. Optimize all your social media channels and integrate them with your website. Based on a recent study, in the next few years, social media will become the dominant communication channel.
So, before this shift, you need to stay prepared. Another fun way to impress your audience is through minimum response time and engaging social media posts. This will help you gain more eyeballs and retain your customers.
4- Use Your Products and Services
Experience is the only teacher you will ever need for your business. Step into the shoes of your customer and experience your product. If you own an app, try using it. Even if you have a product, buy it.
Experience the customer journey and rate it. Then try the products of your competitors and other big companies. This will help you spot your shortcomings and optimize your services to meet customers’ expectations.
This exercise works for big companies as well as startups. This exercise will help you understand the pain points of your customers and then come up with productive ways to resolve these issues.
5- Evaluate and Upgrade
As technology is improving and competition becoming fierce, customers want a wow factor that they can brag about. As a small business owner, offering that wow factor may seem like it’s out of budget, but not every improvement requires you to break the bank.
One of the simplest ways to upgrade your business is to start by evaluating its operations. While big companies recruit quality assurance third-party services, you can just seek feedback by using your customer support team.
Nearly every brand has a proactive feedback strategy and they are using this as a foundation for improvement. From looking at the response time to gauging reaction time, your reevaluation should cover every aspect. Eventually, this will help you create a customer-centric business.
In the startup culture, surviving the first year is like establishing your dominance. The aforementioned tips will help you create a customer-centric business approach that will turn your business dreams into reality.