Customers: Lost That Lovin' Feelin'?

Recently, I’ve had some terrible experiences in purchasing major consumer items, dining out at local eating establishments, and air travel that made me realize that organizations truly focused on serving customer needs are not only rare, but are on the verge of extinction.

I don’t know if the cause is an Internet age that’s making people impersonal, a focus on profits before customers, or the rudeness of the American public in general. Whatever the reason, business leaders must take the charge to create customer-focused organizations in order for their businesses to survive long term. So I thought I’d write my own advice column about creating customer-focused organizations. (“Dear Abby” doesn’t have to be the only advice column around, you know!).

Dear Mark: Most of my employees, especially in the information technology and operations areas, believe that being customer focused is something that the sales and marketing folks do. How should I respond?
—Stuck in the Mud in Minneapolis

Dear Mud Bound: Let me share with you a Hummer-sized answer for getting you out of the slop. If all your employees had a better understanding that your business exists to serve its customers and how their job fits into that purpose, you would be more effective in rallying your organization around the customer’s vantage point.

For example, your operations folks should be trained to understand that what they do affects the services customers receive from your organization. Perhaps you could send them out into the field to ride along with your best salespeople so they can see how the products and services are used on a daily basis. Take the time to explain to your entire organization how their jobs affect customers—from the boardroom to the mailroom. Wallow in the mud or drive out. The choice is yours.

Dear Mark: We’ve had numerous training seminars about customer service, and even hired an expensive motivational speaker to talk about putting the customer first, but nothing ever seems to change around here. What am I doing wrong?
—Banging My Head Against the Wall in Milwaukee

Dear Sore Head: First, take some serious drugs for the headache! Now stop to think about what you’re asking your employees to do. You’re not just asking them to focus on your customers, you’re asking them to change their behavior. And anytime you ask people to change, they start to wonder what the heck they’re doing wrong in the first place!

To move past that, you need to explain that they aren’t doing things wrong, but that the future state of the organization requires a different mindset. Your behavior should model how to stop focusing internally and start thinking externally to better serve customers. If you don’t follow this advice, then bang your head against the wall even harder. At least you’ll be unconscious while your business craters!

Dear Mark: We talk a lot about being customer focused, but the reality is that our organizational “silos” and systems interfere with giving our customers what they want when they need it. How do I eliminate the politics and bureaucracy that are getting in our way?
—Herding Cats in Denver

Dear Feline Shepherd: What does your organizational chart look like on paper? Does it resemble the nasty little things left in the kitty’s litter box? Does it consist of columns, like most companies’ charts? What would it look like if your best customers created an organizational chart of your business to suit their needs? It would probably look different, wouldn’t it?

Perhaps you should redraw your organizational chart and reorganize your systems and bureaucracy to put customers at the center of it all. Then, the really hard work begins as you encourage people to step outside their silos, because that’s how your customers need it to be. Constantly look for innovative ways to encourage departments to share information and work together on special projects. It’ll work if you put the customer first. You may even be able to prove that humans are indeed smarter than cats.