A customer-centric focus is a company culture that places the customer at the center of its operations to emphasize the importance of providing excellent service and meeting customer needs.

This focus is not just about delivering a product or service; it’s about understanding and fulfilling your customers’ needs. Does your organization place the customer at the heart of everything?

This focus needs to drive your organization to provide exceptional service and solutions. You’re building relationships and making a meaningful impact. Being customer-centric follows many of the same philosophies in any relationship that we maintain.

There are several overarching principles of relationship-building. Consider these:

• Take the time. Spending time with your friends and family is another way of saying you genuinely love and care for them and that you’re interested in what their needs are.
• Be transparent and real. Any genuine relationship must begin with honesty and truth.
• Display a sense of humor and overall cheerfulness. Few things bring you more joy than laughing with a good friend. (Do you tend to gravitate toward vendors you laugh with? I do).
• Be a good listener. Make eye contact, offer your undivided attention and maintain positive body language. All these things cause a person to feel validated and heard.
• Display empathy. Communicate what you think their needs or feelings might be. We’ve all had bad days. When you can relate to others’ struggles, they bond closer to you.
• Think the best of people. Giving the benefit of the doubt. Your attitude toward them – whether good or bad – will eventually spill out onto them.
• Ask lots of questions. Asking questions shows interest and helps you find a connection. Remembering these details in the future goes a long way toward establishing a strong relationship.

Now what about relationships between you and your customers?

You’ll find similarities between personal and customer relationships. Everyone responds well to positive body language and tone of voice and having someone listen and validate their needs or feelings. The only way you get to know a person is by spending time with them.

Here are some additional criteria to ensure your customer is the main focus:

• Talk informally about non-transaction-related topics: Before, during and after your interactions with them, let customers get to know you and truly listen to their responses. It tears down walls.
• Make the most of first impressions. Princeton psychologist Janine Willis said it only takes a tenth of a second to form an impression of someone when you first meet.Treat your clients with the knowledge you’ve learned about them including their likes, dislikes, habits or goals. Adaptive customer service is one of the most respectful things we can do. 
• After the customer commits to you, don’t get lazy. Stay vigilant by being a constant and active observer of them. Double-check if you’re hitting or missing the mark in your relationship.
• Be their advocate. Go the extra mile when plans hit a snag. No one is perfect and mistakes happen. It’s how you take care of the customer and solve their problem that matters in the end.
• Be a good communicator. Always keep your client in the loop, which can nip a developing situation in the bud. Schedule your follow-up with them or else it gets forgotten. How do you organize yourself so that you communicate effectively?
• Partner together in solutions to problems. Receive complaints with graciousness, genuine listening and careful consideration. Use comments like, “Thanks for bringing that to our attention.” Tell them what you can do, not what you can’t do. Use this acrostic (courtesy of the employee bulletin board at a local Papa John’s) to help you remember how to handle customer issues:

BLAST customer complaints

Believe that it’s a real concern.

Listen to make them feel heard.

Apologize, even if not your fault.

Solve the problem.

Thank them for this opportunity to make it right.

Additionally, have the mindset that you are there to serve the client versus a mindset they are a hassle or interruption. This can be reflected in your tone: “How may I serve you today? Anything else we can do for you?” and the speed with which you get back to your customer. 

When it comes to being accessible, I always prefer in-person meetings rather than over the phone. However, over the phone is better than email. Challenge yourself to make the call rather than an email as your new default. (It’s hard for me, too!)

As any project or transaction comes to an end, I’m a big proponent of sending thank-you notes, emails or voicemails. It’s important (and often a nice surprise) for a client to receive a note, gift, bouquet, etc., to show your appreciation for their business. It solidifies your business relationship and could encourage a referral.

My final thought is always speak positively about your competition. Your comments will boomerang back onto your reputation. This demonstrates an air of confidence rather than a feeling of being threatened that you might lose the business to fellow colleagues in the industry. On a similar sidenote: when chatting with clients, speak only positively about your co-workers, too!

A customer-centric approach is key to building sustainable success. Companies that consistently prioritize their customers' needs and experiences are more likely to achieve long-term growth and stability.

In essence, put the customer at the heart of everything your business does will lead to better outcomes for both the company and its customers.

Paul D. Casey lives in the Tri-Cities and is the owner of Growing Forward Services, which aims to equip and coach leaders and teams to spark breakthrough success. He also is the executive director of Leadership Tri-Cities.