Customer Orientation

Definition of Customer Orientation

Customer orientation is a focus on understanding, meeting, and consistently revisiting the unique customer needs of those your organization or department serve. This involves taking an active interest in customer relationships, seeking their feedback, and adding value to the customer value proposition. Being customer-oriented also means making decisions based on the long-term needs of the customer. An individual who demonstrates a high level of proficiency in the area of customer orientation perceives their customers as the essence of business success and is the kind of person that customers view as a partner in achieving success. They value and demonstrate the adage “finest personal service.”

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/Supervisor: Regularly and proactively interacts with customers. Understands customer’s business line and value proposition. Compares customer needs with available services. Viewed by customer as an engaged provider. Recruits and motivates others to serve with a customer orientation

Senior Professional/Manager/Principal/Director: Close relationship with customer -knows history, background, desires. Understands customer business environment and processes. Models behaviors to other employees around customer orientation. Contributes to customer business strategy. Proactively seeks out and listens to the voice of the customer. Defines the standards by which customer service and orientation are provided within the organization. Empowers their staff to resolve customer concerns and celebrates success. 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