Customer Orientation

Definition of Customer Orientation

Customer orientation is a focus on understanding, meeting and consistently revisiting customer needs. This involves taking an active interest in customer relationships and seeking to add value to customer value propositions. Being customer-oriented also means making decisions based on the needs of the customer. An individual who demonstrates a high level of proficiency in the area of customer orientation is the kind of person that customers view as a partner in achieving success.

Assistant / Associate:

Listens to customer needs, is pleasant and friendly
Responds to customer requests in a timely fashion
Occasionally reaches out to customers for feedback
Viewed by customer as a competent vendor

Senior Associate / Professional:

Regularly interacts with customer
Understands customers business line and value proposition
Compares customer needs with available services
Viewed by customer as an engaged provider

Senior Professional / Principal:

Close relationship with customer - knows history, background, desires
Understands customer business environment and processes
Contributes to customer business strategy
Viewed by customer as a trusted partner

How to Develop Customer Orientation

Books / Publications:

Customer Service for Front-line Employers or Managers, BYU HR

Experiences:

Think of an experience when you were a customer and your expectations were exceeded. Analyze the experience and write down as many factors as you can think of what made a positive impression on you. Put one of the factors into practice immediately. When you feel you have mastered one, put another one into practice.
Treat your coworkers and team members as if they were your clients. Listen carefully, build trust, encourage open communication and exceed their expectations.
Discuss your internal customers’ business with them. Identify ways they serve their own customers. Identify ways your services can help them.
Identify and interview people perceived as providing good customer service. Find out what they do to be successful in that area.
Invite customers to your team meetings; encourage them to participate and give input into your operations.
Interview customers about services they would like to see added or changed in your department, and collaborate on a proposal plan to present them to management.
Seek out others who could serve as role models due to their client-focused behavior. Ask to observe them in a client/customer situation. Afterwards, discuss what he/she did to demonstrate a customer-focused attitude.
Work with coworkers to map out one or more of your team’s customer service processes. Identify places where problems can occur, and then develop strategies for eliminating them.
Encourage the people you supervise to analyze their processes to determine ways of improving efficiency or customer service.
Ask the people you supervise what factors are preventing them from providing excellent customer service? What are the barriers? What can be done to fix the problems? Implement a process to address some of the issues.
Ensure you fully understand your area’s strategic plan. Better yet, participate in the development of the strategic plan.
Identify activities that are not of value to your customers and determine a way to eliminate them or reduce the amount of time spent on them. Consider automation or outsourcing.

How to Demonstrate Customer Orientation

DO: Describe what you did in completing / achieving your development plan

Walk through the customer-facing processes associated with your department. Identify opportunities for improvement. Consider shadowing a customer who is not familiar with your processes to see their reaction.
Survey customers to gauge the way customers view your department
Survey customers to gauge the way they view your role in the department

ASSESS: Share, if applicable, any assessments that were taken / provided related to your activities

Review trends in customer requests for services specific to your role
Examine time spent performing work for customers vs other activities
Review customer feedback and share insights with your team

LEARN: Explain what you felt that you were able to learn during your journey / experiences

Study best practices for your department/field
Observe customer-facing processes in other university departments
Describe how the mission/vision of your department contributes to customer satisfaction

APPLY: Give specifics examples where you have / plan to make direct application to your work

Record re-work needed to identify and satisfy customer needs
Share how you intend to change processes and approaches so that customer needs are satisfied in a better way
Institute changes in your department that are geared toward improving the customer experience. Share what you’ve learned with others.

REFLECT: Review / consider things you would have done differently had you had this experience earlier

Consider what it means to be a customer of the services your department provides. How does it feel? What do customers think about? Do they want to engage with you?
Determine what good customer service means for your field.