Increasingly, organizations with an inclination towards innovation have recognized the relevance and benefits of a customer-centric strategy. Learn more.
It’s impossible to talk about business without talking about customers. In the age of experience, it’s essential to understand that customers aren’t just a part of the process but play a fundamental role in the strategies of companies aiming to innovate and succeed in the long term. Many of these organizations, like Blue, embrace the Customer Centric approach. In this text, we will explore the concept, what a good experience entails, customer demands as a strategic pillar, and the benefits of co-innovation. Keep reading.
Customer Centric and the good experience
The concept of being customer-centric is based on the idea that the customer is at the center of everything. All decisions, from organizational structure to the implementation of new processes, must be guided by customer needs and satisfaction. According to Carine Bruxel, Executive Vice President at Datum and an expert in Human Behavior and Neuroscience, “when the customer is at the center, all decisions of a business, all directions, changes, and innovations go through their perspective.”
This approach allows for the creation of a product/service that customers fall in love with, provide surprising experiences, and consequently reduce churn by ensuring customer loyalty to the brand. But what is behind a good experience? Firstly, understanding the profile of the ideal customer and recognizing that, in a digital culture with constant changes, this is an ongoing action. Secondly, investing in cutting-edge technology to provide something new and personalized.
Customer demands as a strategic pillar
In the customer-centric approach, companies can validate customer demands by turning them into a strategic pillar. This involves a cultural transformation of the business, encompassing agility, people-centricity, and data orientation. The latter aspect is as important as the others but worth highlighting. “Today, when we talk about customer-centricity, we need to move away from guesswork,” says XX. Personalization and understanding the customer depend on data collection and analysis. Thus, a data-driven culture enables understanding who the customers are and allows for the personalization of company actions.
Involving customers in innovation
Beyond placing the customer at the center, listening to their pain points, and making their demands a strategic pillar, the customer-centric approach allows for co-innovation. This means collaborating with the customer in building a product or service. As Tiago Scala, our CTO and Customer Experience expert, points out, co-innovation is a key piece in the customer-centric puzzle.
For him, “the greatest benefit is the certainty that you are building something that is relevant to the customer.” Assuming your product/service is validated by the audience, revenue naturally follows. From there, the lifetime value, upselling and cross-selling opportunities, reduction of customer acquisition costs, and strategic prospecting of new customers can be worked on.
