This is a guest post written by my wife Blake Morgan. She’s working on a new book on customer experienced leadership which is coming out next year. As a part of that book she is embarking on an extensive research project and could use your help answering a few survey questions. Please take just a few mins and help shape the future of customer customer experience!
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Who has the greatest impact on customer experience and creating a customer-obsessed culture? Leaders.
From my 15-plus years of research and working with the world’s most customer-focused companies, I’ve seen firsthand the connection between a great leader and a great customer experience.
When you think of brands totally focused on customers like Amazon, Zappos, and Disney, one thing they have in common are founders, CEOs, and leaders who prioritize customers and make decisions with customers in mind.
But you don’t have to be a company with a household name to need a customer-focused leader. Brands of all types and sizes benefit when leaders care about customers and make them the central focus.
How do you know if you work for a customer-focused leader? Here are just a few of the common characteristics:
- Leaders interact with customers. It’s obvious when leaders care about customers because they want to spend time with them. Customer-focused leaders are on the frontlines visiting stores, taking calls in the contact center, and talking to customers. Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan spends one day a month as a barista serving drinks to customers, eBay CEO Jamie Iannone regularly takes customers service calls, former United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz led a major turnaround by talking to customers on flights and getting their honest feedback—the list goes on and on. Research has found that CEOs who engage directly with customers can help improve products, boost customer satisfaction, and create a competitive advantage.
- Leaders track the ROI of customer experience efforts. Customer-focused leaders understand the business impact of caring for customers. While other leaders may focus on quarterly reports or the bottom line, great leaders understand the ROI of customer experience. They share the impact of putting customers first and know that what gets measured gets treasured. KB Home CEO Jeff Mezger leads a culture of customer obsession by starting every management meeting with customer experience metrics. That emphasis keeps customers top of mind for leaders and spreads the impact throughout the company.
- Customers are the first priority when making decisions. When customer-focused leaders make business decisions, they always think about customers first. It’s not about what will make the most money or crush the competition but what customers want and need in a product or service. Customers can tell when their preferences and needs are a top priority and not an afterthought—it comes through in the buying experience, how products are designed, and how they are treated after a sale. These leaders listen to customer feedback and proactively make improvements. Under Chief Customer Officer Amy Shore, Nationwide Insurance creates feedback loops from frontline employees to ensure leaders have up-to-date insights into customers and can proactively make customer-focused decisions.
These are just a few characteristics of customer-centric leaders that set the tone for the rest of the company. When leaders are totally focused on customers, employees will follow the example and deliver on customer experience as well.
Want to have a say in shaping the future of customer experience? I’m conducting a quick 5-minute survey, and I’d love to hear your valuable insights!
What’s more, your responses will be featured in my upcoming book, giving you a chance to make a meaningful contribution to my research.
Ready to share your thoughts? Just click here to participate!
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