What is “customer culture,” and why should companies pay more attention to it? A recent Forbes article describes customer culture as comprising two components: “the way a company treats its customers” and “the way a company treats its people.” After reading this definition, I immediately thought of our mission statement: “if Dimensional Insight takes care of its customers and employees, then the employees and customers will take care of Dimensional Insight.”
This was a strategy our co-founders Fred Powers and Stan Zanarotti believed in 30 years ago and still applies today. To me, our mission statement embodies this definition of customer culture. But how does one work to build, develop, and maintain good customer culture? Here are three ways companies can work towards prioritizing customer culture, which can lead to employee retention and increased growth and success.
Prioritizing and satisfying customers’ needs
Companies need to develop strong customer insight; this Harvard Business Review article asks companies to question whether or not they have a deep understanding of their customers’ needs. Insight can range from asking for specific accommodations in a hotel room to satisfying customers’ requests for modifications on a product or service. No matter what the need, companies should have the ability to prioritize their customers and their needs.
Here at Dimensional Insight, our mission inspires us to work towards satisfying our customers’ needs whether it be meeting with customers on-site at their convenience to ensuring that our applications are user-friendly and helpful in their daily responsibilities. Our primary job is to satisfy our customers above all else.
Emphasizing collaboration and communication
I discussed the importance of collaboration in my previous blog post. If organizations want to succeed, customers and departments need to communicate with each other and collaborate efficiently. Customers and employees need to work together so customers know what the company is doing, where it is going, and how they are impacted. At the same time, employees want to understand customers’ needs so they can work on solving any obstacles or help them to work smarter.
For example, our applications include a collaboration functionality that allows for integrated collaboration and communication among our employees and customers. This allows customers to contact our employees if they need assistance, and our employees are always there to support them. Increased collaboration and communication will lead to greater output and success for both employees and customers. Therefore, collaboration and communication are invaluable within organizations.
Promoting company’s vision and values
Do employees understand and buy in to a company’s vision and values? Are staff members inspired to work towards satisfying their company’s vision? Are employees aligned around the company’s vision and core values? This is important in organizations, creating greater value for customers and leading to improved performance.
At Dimensional Insight, Fred and Stan emphasize our company’s mission and vision regularly in our all-hands meetings. For me, seeing the company’s mission and vision keeps me laser-focused and inspires me to work towards supporting our customers and Dimensional Insight because I know the company will support me.
Takeaway: the customer comes first
In order for companies to succeed, they need to build and maintain strong cultures. A strong culture includes one of trust, teamwork, collaboration, and respect for its customers and employees. It’s also important for customers to know that they are a priority to the company and the company’s vision. These are all a part of our culture at Dimensional Insight, and this is a large part of why we have been a strong and successful organization for nearly 30 years.
Read more articles on culture
- 3 Ways to Cultivate a Culture of Trust Inside the Workplace
- The Power of Positive Culture: Inside and Outside the Workplace
- Dimensional Insight Book Club: The Culture Code
- How Culture Can Positively Impact Healthcare Outcomes
- Highlights from the 2018 WSWA Women’s Leadership Council - September 27, 2018
- How to Develop a Positive Customer Culture - September 6, 2018
- 3 Ways to Cultivate a Culture of Trust Inside the Workplace - August 2, 2018