Christopher Brown
Stop doing stupid things to customers
A good friend of mine in Sydney recently relayed a story I have heard many times over. Yes it involves buying a car and yes the experience was less than ideal to say the least….. This particular story comes down to three underlying emotions –...
How customer centric companies make service recovery a priority
In the below video, Chris Zane of Zane's cycles, probably the most customer centric bike store on the planet, tells the story of how they got things wrong. Not only did they gets things wrong but on Valentine's Day of all days! We all get…
Driving high value – low cost customer experiences
A friend of mine travelled last week from Bangalore to Dubai on IndiGo Airlines. She said it was low cost, with seats that would lean back giving a feeling of more space, along with great customer service. She travelled coach class and yet was...
Extreme customer service on top of Mt Kilimanjaro
Source: crewtreks.com It is amazing where you will find people with a "customer first" mindset and an innate sense of understanding customer needs and how to fill them. Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, at 19, 340 feet, is the highest free-standing mountain in the world.…
Being customer centric means being people centric
Source: http://thesismusen2012.wordpress.com/ I was talking with a friend last week about the challenges of developing a customer-centric culture in large organizations. He used the word "customerization" to refer to the process of developing a "customerized" culture. I found a definition in Wikipedia as follows: "Customerization...
Customer Centric Leadership Practices – Lessons from “the HP way”
In recent weeks I have met several ex-HP employees who told me about the great times they had at HP when the culture embedded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard prevailed – a culture of innovation, customer focus and respect for individuals as flesh...
Customer Centric Lessons from the Rock Band Van Halen
CREDIT: PHOTOSTATION IMAGES/LARRY MARANO Van Halen was particularly big in the US during the 1970s and 1980s. David Lee Roth was their lead singer and also somewhat of an technical operations expert. In fact Van Halen was a pioneer in many ways for touring rock…
Breaking down company silos with internal social media tools
In a recent project with a large Energy company, I was working with the senior management and staff to help develop and embed a customer-centric culture. It is their belief and mine (based on extensive research) that a customer-focused business will drive ongoing prosperity....
Is the Bell Canada Transformation Enough for a Competitive Future?
In a 2009 article titled "How Bell Canada remade itself from the top down', Ed Gubbins explained how the company changed its culture, operations and cost structure. George Cope, appointed President and CEO in 2008, led this transformation. Along with reducing its headcount, reducing management...
What customer-centric looks like in the insurance business – Lessons from Aflac
Insurance is a "grudge" purchase. No-one likes to pay for something they may never need or use. It's a bit like going to the dentist for a tooth extraction. Then when you have an insurance claim, getting compensation for what you insured can be...
Your customers are being stolen by the new digital disruptors – Are you fit...
FitNow, launched in 2008, produces Lose It!, the top application in the iPhone's health and fitness category. FitNow is based on the premise that your phone is always with you and is the perfect platform for tracking your calories. It now has more than...
Can Nokia regain its customers and former glory?
As Nokia's new chief executive, Stephen Elop, took over in September 2010, he faced a formidable task: to regain the company's lost ground in the smartphone segment of the global phone market, especially in the United States, while maintaining its worldwide dominance as the...
The wrong way to fire you customers – Lessons from Wells Fargo
Not all customers are created equal and unfortunately from time to time as a business's strategy changes or market conditions alter it is necessary to cull certain customers. Now this may sound strange coming from a customer centricity advocate but this is the reality of...
Does Intel have the right culture for the future?
In a question asking him to summarize the Intel culture, outgoing CEO (in May 2013), Paul Otellini said: "Egalitarian. Merit based. That came from Noyce. Anyone can speak in a meeting, but you must speak with data. That came from Moore. Take risks. Embrace...
4 ways Electronic Arts navigated major Tectonic Shifts impacting their Customers
Many industries today are experiencing market and technology shifts in their marketplaces that are somewhat like the clashing of tectonic plates that cause earthquakes and tsunamis. Industries including publishing and printing, education, telecommunications, media, advertising, health and retail are all facing massive change. How...
How to test whether your messages are customer focused
Customer centricity can be applied not only at the organizational level but also at the functional and ultimately the individua level as well. When it comes to your marketing communications it means doing what you can to avoid wasting a customer's time with emails that...
2 secrets of Salesforce.com’s success at attracting customers
Jamie Greney, a long standing employee says "In my ten years at salesforce.com, I think one of the most important elements to our success has been the corporate culture. We've had a consistent vision regarding the end of software. Three of our top values...
How to attain premium pricing in a discount world – Lessons from Starbucks Steel...
How do some businesses manage to attract premium prices while others struggle to get sales at any price? The answer is a combination of branding, customer loyalty and the creation of customer value. Companies that invest in creating a brand that stands for something and…
Is 3M still an innovator? – 3 traits it must have to mobilize growth...
3M is one of the most consistent companies on wall street, paying out a dividend for nearly a century. It has a diverse stable of 55,000 products from electronics to health care to renewable energy. 3M has long been recognized as one of the...
Has Cisco got its strategic alignment right?
>Cisco's roller coaster 2012 was due in part to the Eurozone crisis that took a heavy toll on network spending and a subdued US market. It seems set for a better 2013 due to restructuring initiatives, undertaken during 2012, and more favorable prospects in...