Reasons Why Many Companies Fail to adopt a Customer-First Strategy

Most companies claim to have a ‰Û÷customer-first’ policy, but these words can too often become another meaningless statement on paper that never fully develops into an actual policy in action. There are many reasons why this can happen. Here are a few reasons to look out for so you don’t fail to adopt this strategy in your business.

Upper management makes the decree, but no one knows how to implement it

Often, CEOs and upper management figures decree that the company will take a ‰Û÷customer-first’ stance when doing business, but it takes more than just this statement to make it actually happen. Without specific details and directions, the other employees are likely to fail at creating this sort of environment. Customer satisfaction isn’t just a short-term project–it needs to be an ongoing, long-term goal that every employee contributes to. If you don’t tell your employees what their role is in this plan, they can’t be expected to fulfill their duties.

Not everyone in the company contributes to the goal

It’s easy for front-end employees like customer service reps to remember to put customers first. After all, they deal with them directly on a daily basis and more than likely have been trained to relate to their customers’ needs. However, every employee needs to know their role in contributing to customer satisfaction, not just those employees who deal with the public on a daily basis.

If necessary, provide refresher training to management or back office staff so they are reminded that customers need to come first in order to reach your goal of a ‰Û÷customer-first’ business. Make sure everyone knows and understands their role in implementing this type of policy.

The business thinks it costs too much for such a policy

Consider the cost of replacing customers who leave your business compared to the small effort it takes to retain happy ones. It is more cost effective to keep your current customers happy, especially when they bring their friends and family to do business with you, than it is to try and court new customers constantly.

For more tips on how you can create a customer-first environment in your business, visit Answer 365 today.