How can you align team goals with customer-centricity and personalization?

Companies exist to solve problems. Don't lose sight of what problem you're trying to solve. Organizations can get wrapped up in their own product roadmaps, technology stacks, optimization concepts, and so on...but NONE of that matters if the problem you are solving changes so much that the products and technology become irrelevant to the user. Nearly every product failure traces back to getting too far away from the original problem the product was created to solve, or ignoring new problems that arise over time. So to make sure you don't lose track of the problem you're solving, companies MUST engage with their customers EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. so they understand how the market is shifting away from their product.

In understanding customers and their said as well as unsaid needs, key observations of the team members who are in direct contact with customers are of paramount importance. Quite often customers don't know what they need. In such cases, they just have a feeling of it. It is our responsibility to first understand such unsaid and unclear needs of the clients based on our extensive experience in the field. Secondly, we must educate our clients in this regard. Believe me, your clients will love you for your contribution, eventually becoming strong advocates of your organization. This intimate knowledge and experience of clients will enable you to create clear segments of clients.

Para alinhar as metas da equipe com foco no cliente e personalização, é essencial integrar feedback do cliente nas estratégias. Incentive uma cultura centrada no cliente, promovendo empatia e compreensão das necessidades. Estimule a coleta contínua de dados sobre preferências individuais para orientar a personalização. Capacite a equipe com treinamento em habilidades interpessoais e técnicas de personalização. Estabeleça metas que reflitam não apenas a satisfação geral do cliente, mas também a personalização eficaz em suas interações. Monitore continuamente o desempenho e ajuste as metas conforme necessário para garantir alinhamento contínuo com as expectativas do cliente.

Customers segmentation, is a dirty word. It’s streamlined. NOT knowing your customers (KYC) We love automation. But if it happens to us? People need to place themselves, in the customers shoes. Trying to segment, pigeon hole, and place customers into an imaginary field created by someone in an office. means you haven’t taken the time to KYC, and you are looking for ‘one size’ fits all, to be micro managed, and segmented And if confusion pops up over long periods of time, with the same things happening again and again, you need to point internal fingers, and paying attention to your attrition rates. They’re very much connected. It’s ok to accept a gap in self knowledge. It’s the actions taken to rectify a solution that speak words.

Understanding your customer is like being a good friend who listens and pays attention. It's about: - Listening to their feedback, like in surveys or chats. - Observing how they use your products, like noticing what they click on your website. - Asking them direct questions in interviews or focus groups. - Putting yourself in their shoes to feel what they experience. - Analyzing data, like sales trends and website analytics, to see the bigger picture. It's all about knowing them as real people with unique needs and wants.

In my experience, a worthy goal may not fulfill all the criteria of being a SMART goal. For example, it may not be time-bound but still, it can be very important for the delivery to your client(s) and the growth of your organization.

That's the most important step. All team members should be onboard and part of this process. No organization can achieve customer-centricity unless all team members feel ownership in this process. Inclusivity, learning, and ownership are the cornerstone of customer-centricity.

That's where a leader needs to keep a very, very close eye. Being a leader, you can delegate every task while focusing entirely on results of the process.

In my role as a tech investment banker - we have to participate in a great deal of compliance training and much of this revolves around knowing your customer and their specific needs before suggesting an investment option. One way our regulatory body FINRA ensures we meet customer needs is to have them fill out a form and then suggest appropriate investment ideas. Interestingly, having a contest to sell the most of a specific product or service can be seen as not putting the client's interest first. Even if you are not in the finance world - be wary that having a product-specific sales contest might not best suit the needs of your clients.

Ensuring that you are providing value to the customer(s) is at the apex of the pyramid of customer centricity. If we singularly focus on providing value for our customers, everything else will fall into its ideal place.