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.