What does it mean to be a customer-focused company? And what are the most important tactics I can follow as a manager to present customer focused services?

Most simply, I would define “customer focused service strategy” as a view on business that puts customers at the center of business decisions.

That, along with several of the other examples and ideas I mentioned in the post on Friday, capture the essence of what I would call customer-focus. But what makes a customer focused service company? It’s a term we hear periodically and can’t think of any sort of successful company that wouldn’t like to describe itself as customer focused service, but what does it actually mean? And most importantly, when is it actually put into practice?

Customer-focus is quite literally and quite obviously, focusing on the customer. That means thinking about them when decisions are made, policies are implemented, and employees are trained. It spans across the whole business and is a cultural thing as much as it is anything else. Customer focused service businesses think about what they can do to make customers happy (as opposed to get the most money out of them, signup the most accounts, etc.) all the time and think about how they can make the customer experience better.

The best companies actually put that view into practice, though. It’s pretty easy to talk about (and to want), but it’s difficult to actually do it. I’d say that customer-focus and customer focused service strategy go hand in hand. The companies that are customer focused service (the ones that actually do it, instead of just say it) are already depending on a customer focused service strategy. If they’re doing it well, they’re most likely seeing that strategy work for them in all areas (happy employees, happy customers, financial success).

Everybody talks about being customer focused service, but few people really know what it means.  Here are four basic elements of customer-focus, based upon presentations from four of the smartest people in the sales training business.

1. Constantly Gather Information

The more you know about a customers, the better you'll be able to help out. Research each customer thoroughly and when you meet, ask questions that deepen your understanding.  Such knowledge makes selling easier and increases the percentage of prospects that become customers.  Source: Ian Gilyeat, founder and chief marketing officer at I.R. Gilyeat & Co

2. Get Embedded in Their Strategy

To forge a deeper relationship with your customers, show them how your corporate strategy meshes with theirs. Rather than merely sell solutions, sell them on the idea that you can help them sell to their own customers. Think long-term partnership, rather than short-term sales goals, and you'll grow as your customers grow. Source: Greg Shortell, President and CEO at Network Engines

3. Emphasize Customer Retention

It's always easier and less expensive to sell to your existing customers than to cultivate new ones. In addition, a loyal customer base spreads the good word, providing referral sales that are easy to close. By contrast, when you're losing customers, you've got to acquire even more new ones, just to keep revenue flat!  Source: Jerry Colletti, owner and managing partner at Colletti-Fiss, LLC

4. Debrief After Customer Engagements 

Your organization can't learn from its mistakes or its successes if you aren't willing to examine each customer engagement. Whenever you win or lose a sale, have everybody involved freely discuss what went right and what went wrong, without fear of reprisals or negative performance reviews. This form of organization honesty uncovers both strengths to apply in the future and the weaknesses that thwart your growth.  Source: Jim Murphy, founder and CEO of Afterburner

Needless to say, there's a lot more to being customer focused service than these four basic tactics, but they are an excellent place to start.

Source: serviceuntitled / inc.com

In today’s competitive market place there can be few organisations who do not desire to be customer-focused, and even fewer who do not recognize how important employees are in delivering this. The bad news is that still few are truly succeeding in creating a customer focus culture where the customer is king. This focus upon the impact of the employee in building a customer culture is becoming a key issue for those who want to maintain a competitive advantage.

Most organisations have vision and or mission statements. Many also have values which underpin these. However, few organisations:

base their values on customer feedback

involve their employees in the development of values

link these values to their brand

encourage their employees to align their behaviours to the values

reward their employees for ‘living the brand’

in short they create a customer focus culture that realizes the customer vision.

The orientation of an organization toward serving its clients' needs. Having a customer focus is usually a strong contributor to the overall success of a business and involves ensuring that all aspects of the company put its customers' satisfaction first. Also, having a customer focus usually includes maintaining an effective customer relations and service program.

1. Constantly Gather Information

2. Get Embedded in Their Strategy

3. Emphasize Customer Retention

4. Debrief After Customer Engagements 

It is critical that customers have a voice and you truly understand how they are feeling about how you are delivering for them to be a truly customer focused business

to provide a customer service, we should give a ver good service which they will be more satisfied and contented.provide what there needs and suggestions.and especially smile and greet the customer in that way the customer will be more comfortable and had a very good customer service.

Having a Customer Focused Company is stance in which all aspects of a company's production and delivery of goods or services are directed by the best interests of the customers, usually involves ensuring that all aspects of the company put its customers' satisfaction first and should focus more on clients satisfaction.

base their values on customer feedback

involve their employees in the development of values

link these values to their brand

encourage their employees to align their behaviours to the values

reward their employees for ‘living the brand’

in short they create a customer focus culture that realizes the customer vision.

when ever, customer calls, you, or an organization, for help , and the reply is good, then , the organization is customer focused

the most important tactics, that a manager can follow is, " Pleasing nature, and appreciating the customer for calling the organization.

First, it’s important to make sure that your customer service team has the right skills for your managing customers’ needs. No amount of CRM software can compensate for shortcomings in this area. But what skills should you be looking for in a customer service rep?

• Empathy, patience and consistency. Some customers will be irate. Others will be full of questions. And others will just be chatty. You must know how to handle all of them and provide the same level of service every time.
• Adaptability. Every customer is different, and some may even seem to change week-to-week. You should be able to handle surprises, sense the customer’s mood and adapt accordingly. This also includes a willingness to learn– providing good customer service is a continuous learning process.
• Clear communication. Ensure you convey to customers exactly what you mean. You don’t want your customer to think he’s getting 50% off when he’s actually getting 50% more product. Use authentically positive language, stay cheerful no matter what and never end a conversation without confirming the customer is satisfied.
• Work ethic. Customers appreciate a rep who will see their problem through to its resolution. At the same time, you must have good time management skills and not spend too much time handling one customer while others are waiting. Stay focused on your goals to achieve the right balance.
• Knowledge. Ultimately your customers rely on you for their knowledge of your product. Stay informed enough to respond to most inquiries and know where to turn if the questions become too detailed or technical for you to answer. But don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” either. Customers will appreciate the honesty and your efforts to find the right answer.
• Thick skin. The customer’s always right… right? The ability to swallow one’s pride and accept blame or negative feedback is crucial. Whether your team works directly with customers or looking for feedback on social media, they’ve got to keep the customer’s happiness in mind.

Not sure if your reps have the right customer service skills? Survey or interview your customers to understand whether your service team is showing each of these traits. Running a customer feedback survey through your CRM program, at the point of sale, or when you send customers an invoice is a great way to see where your team’s skills do and don’t measure up.

2. Look at every touchpoint

A bad customer experience at any point in the customer lifecycle can ruin your relationship. In addition to making sure the right skills are demonstrated, you need to be sure they’re being demonstrated consistently. Pay the most attention to key touchpoints, but make sure you have a full view of the customer experience, or you risk lapses in service that can really hurt business.

3. Improve your customer interactions

If your staff has the necessary skill set, that’s a good start. But they still need to relate to your customers. Here are some tips for making sure customer service is both thorough and well received:

• Ask reps to try to identify a common ground–like shared interests–with the people they help. Having this point of understanding makes conflict easier to overcome by humanizing the relationship, and it endears customers to your rep (and ultimately your company).
• Practice active listening so your customers feel heard. Clarify and rephrase what the customers say to ensure you understand them. Empathize with and reflect their feelings by saying things like, “That must have upset you” or “I can see why you feel slighted.”
• Admit your mistakes, even if you discover them before your customers do. This builds trust and restores confidence. It also allows you to control the situation, re-focus the customer’s attention and resolve the issue.
• Follow-up after a problem is solved. Make sure the issue stays fixed and that your customers were satisfied with the service. Sending an email, or even a feedback survey is an excellent way to let the customer know you’re still on their side.

4. Enhance your customer service strategy

Your staff may have the skills and know-how to interact with your customers. But what organizational strategies can you employ to please customers? Practice proactive customer service by making your customers happy before they come to you with problems. Here’s how:

• Get personal. Your customers want to feel like they have access to real people, not bots and FAQs. Offer more than just automated email responses, and do not let your telephone prompts or website send them down a rabbit hole. Take full advantage of social media (such as Facebook, Twitter and Yelp) and write responses when your customers post on your page. Post photos and bios on your website. This shows your customers that you are real people working on their behalf.
• Be available. Part of the personal touch is making sure your customers can reach you. For example if your business is primarily online, meet in person occasionally with local customers and offer video calls (such as Skype) for those farther away. Work early and late when needed, especially if your customers are in different time zones. Even providing customers with your physical address helps build their trust and reminds them that your company exists off the internet as well.
• Cater to your customers. Make sure you are fully meeting your customers’ needs. Consider assigning reps to specific customers so they can build a relationship. Offer VIP treatment for your best customers to let them know they are appreciated. What special services might your customers like? Set up focus groups, interview customers, or run a survey to get ideas.
• Create communities. Your customers will feel even more valued if you treat them as important members of a community. You can bring various customers together in numerous ways, including webinars, interactive websites, social media, trade shows and conventions. And don’t forget that while your customers come to these forums to learn from you, you can learn as much–if not more–from them.

5. Make sure your reps are engaged

You can have the best customer service skills and the best training in the world, but if your reps are checked out, it won’t matter at all. Improving employee engagement is another way to make sure customers have a great experience. Dissatisfied employees are unlikely to come forward with their problems, so consider an anonymous suggestion box or an employee engagement survey to see what makes your employees tick.

You’ll want to know how your customer service team feels about working conditions and compensation, opportunities for career advancement, training and their peers. Our employee engagement template offers a good overview. We’ve also compiled benchmark engagement data to help you understand how your employees’ engagement compares to other companies.

Since engagement can vary from industry to industry, you may also want to look at more specific data through a service like SurveyMonkey Benchmarks.

6. Give your customers a way to provide feedback

No matter how proactive you are, you’ll never be able to get in front of every customer issue. To make sure you learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly experience your customers have, create an easily accessible way for customers to give feedback.

Customer-focused company means paying great attention to the needs and opinions of customer while realizing the organizational goal too.

The customer is always right

Don't flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come to relation with a person, the more necessary to tact and courtesy become.Except in cases of necessity, which are rare, leave your friend to learn.

Gratitude is the most exquisite form of coutesy

Don't reserve your best behavior for special occaions. you can't have two sets of manners, two social codes- one for those you admire and want to impress, another for those you consider unimportant.

You must be same to all people

KYC is the trick to customer satisfaction, like the vareity of products available in the market, there's also a wide variety of customers. The key to gainning unmatched satisfaction is "Know Your Client". 

As you may find user manuals in different products on how to operate them knowing and only knowing your client will help you understand thier needs and enable you to act promoptly.