On June 15, I had the pleasure of participating in the virtual internship organized by Les Affaires during the 2021 Customer Experience conference: a (re)connection above all human. I chose to talk about a subject that fascinates me (the photo does not lie 👇🙄) : the human factor, which must, in my opinion, always come before the customer factor.
Key questions addressed during this session:
In 2021, it is indeed essential for the economic growth of any company to place people at the center of its digital business strategy. Rarely have we been faced with such a predictable and unpredictable future.
Three golden rules remain constant, regardless of technological breakthroughs:
Leaders in the field of customer experience show us that customer centricity begins at the top of the organization, with a clear vision that permeates all levels of the organization and engages individuals. This vision is translated into a suitable structure, products and services, and only then is it reflected in essential tools such as digital tools and technology.
→ Excellence in customer experience starts at the top of the organization
Key questions addressed during this session:
In 2021, it is indeed essential for the economic growth of any company to place people at the center of its digital business strategy. Rarely have we been faced with such a predictable and unpredictable future.
Three golden rules remain constant, regardless of technological breakthroughs:
Leaders in the field of customer experience show us that customer centricity begins at the top of the organization, with a clear vision that permeates all levels of the organization and engages individuals. This vision is translated into a suitable structure, products and services, and only then is it reflected in essential tools such as digital tools and technology.
→ Excellence in customer experience starts at the top of the organization
Analyzing countless examples of customer-centric transformation reinforces the lesson that this process, from the top to the bottom of the pyramid, is essential and only holds when a human-centric culture is at the center. Culture is often overlooked, but it is the essential foundation of a resolutely customer-centric organization: one where all employees collectively and individually put the needs of customers first, every day, in everything they do.
Focusing on culture as the primary means of building customer centricity may seem counterintuitive. However, it is the employees who interact with customers, hear their concerns first, and observe what excites and seduces them, long before these signals form an identifiable and traceable data pattern in the systems . internal company data. A healthy organizational environment for employees therefore has a direct impact on customers.
The intersection between culture and performance connects two essential truths:
In a world where corporate business models are quickly replicated, culture can be the ultimate competitive advantage. However, culture is not a management formula. Depending on their strategic goals, organizations have many options to shape a culture that inspires behaviors that, in tactical execution, give rise to a distinctive customer experience.
Developing a customer-centric corporate culture is a big effort, but by following a rigorous three-step process (discover, plan, and execute), companies can ensure that this effort will be lastingly rewarded.
1. Find out what matters to your customers and employees
During the “discovery” stage, companies critically examine the behavioral patterns adopted by their employees and ask themselves which ones promote customer orientation and which ones can hinder it. They identify the behaviors most important to the design of the organization's customer experience, then formulate them as principles to guide specific, observable behavioral changes in the way employees create value for and with customers. clients.
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More importantly, leaders work to identify behaviors that get in the way and find the root causes of the mindsets they want to change. Otherwise, the negative behaviors are likely to reappear once the initial enthusiasm for the possibilities of transformation begins to fade.
2. Design a new culture
The next step is to plan and implement a company-wide effort to reinforce the desired culture, starting with a plan to set change in motion, as well as major business initiatives to give lead by example and reinforce the new culture.
The tools we use shape the way we think, the way we communicate. In order to be able to think collectively, we must use common tools, and therefore speak a common language. Digital transformation is the result of a strategy, supported by the right culture.
Embedding customer experience metrics from the outset to reward employees for desired actions and behaviors emphasizes common goals and encourages accountability for each person's daily actions.
3. Honoring the promise of customer centricity
Once the basics are in place, companies need to promote this customer-centric culture and give employees the support and incentives they need to improve the customer experience. Successful organizations typically make changes on multiple fronts:
Conclusion
Companies with a culture that emphasizes value creation across the entire value chain are likely to improve customer satisfaction and achieve lasting results that lead to improved health and performance organisation. But to create lasting performance in customer experience, you need to transform the culture of the company at all levels.
To start, you have to ask yourself the right questions: