Long-term relationship with customers - CDC Consulting Partners

When Leaders and teams meet customers for a long-term relationship

Date

25.02.22

When Leaders and teams meet customers for a long-term relationship

Customers are the #1 reason for your organization to exist. Therefore, it is only natural that you want to engage in a happy and lasting relationship with your customers. This is, in fact, the ultimate ambition of any successful company.

Dealing with customers is usually the front-office’s responsibility, backed up by marketing, communication, and sales departments. What if I told you that a good customer experience starts with your company’s leadership team?

Why? Let’s take a look.

1.
Most leaders still pay little attention to what front-office teams have to say, and these teams often feel discouraged to share their thoughts. The result? Customers grow unsatisfied. Front-office teams dealing with customers 24/7 receive important information on a daily basis (customer’s wishes, dreams, complaints). Building mechanisms to allow this information to flow inside the organization is crucial for success. Leaders need to take these insights into account when defining new strategies, products or policies. In many companies this is not happening yet.

LEARNING #1: LEADERS SHOULD CREATE MECHANISMS TO LISTEN TO WHAT CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING.

2.
Fast-paced growing companies, particularly in the tech industry, are struggling to prepare team leaders to be ready and effective. There are plenty of promising IC (Individual Contributors) who are ambitious, strategically oriented, and technically great. However – senior recruiters say – they tend to be quite unprepared for managing people. Unexperienced, or mostly technically oriented, they get overwhelmed and stressed, passing on demotivation and flaws to the customer’s experience.

LEARNING #2: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE NEEDS TO BE CULTIVATED IN MANAGEMENT, FOR THE SAKE OF INDIVIDUALS, TEAMS AND ULTIMATELY CUSTOMERS.

3.
Let’s now add remote work to the equation. Many individuals working remotely are confused and anxious. They are not sure if they are doing their job well. This is creating frustration and anxiety in a large number of people, jeopardizing productivity, empowerment and overall well-being. When individuals are feeling uncertain or afraid, the levels of creativity and focus diminish in the organization, promoting direct and indirect repercussions on the customer’s perception.