Any customer-centric way of doing business needs to provide a positive customer experience before and after the sale so that the ability to sell resumes, increases customer loyalty, and enhances business growth.

But how important is customer focus? The good news is that it is becoming more and more important!

What does it mean to be customer-centric?
Customer-centric strategy refers to a business strategy that is based on putting the customer first and at the centre of the business to provide a positive experience and solidify the relationship with him in the long term, for example by using the Jobs to be done framework.

When you put your customer at the centre of your business, and add Customer Relationship Management (CRM), you can collect a large amount of data, which contributes to a complete understanding of the customer. This can be used to improve the customer experience.

For example:
• Customer data may be used to understand your purchasing behaviour, interests, and engagement.
• Opportunities can be identified to create products and services for the best customers.
• Customer lifetime value can be viewed to segment customers based on the highest spenders.

Not only does it make good business sense to maintain a customer-centric approach, a study by Deloitte and Touche found that companies that are customer-centric were 60% more profitable compared to companies that are not.

Challenges of becoming a customer-centric organization
The shift in focus from brand to customer occurred during the economic downturn in the late 1990s, as customers became more selective in which brands, they chose to spend their money on.

The winning brands were the ones that treated their customers with respect, offered them great service, and built a relationship with them that still endures today.

During the same period, another change took place: social networks. Customers can now compare products and services in real time and across multiple devices, which has presented a huge challenge for many brands.

Research has found that many companies are struggling with this change and have not been able to become customer-centric organizations, their biggest challenge being not being able to apply customer insights across departments.

Most companies don't have all the components of being customer-centric, but the most important part to consider is this: you must put customers first, not products, and focus on what customers want. This can be achieved by using the theory of JTBD.

When designing a business from the customer's perspective, the organization should focus on customer needs.

The 4 best practices to become a customer-centric company
By being customer-centric, you'll need to anticipate your customers' needs and captivate them with products and services they may not have thought of, but will immediately fall in love with (ex: Apple's iPhone or iPad).

Therefore, a customer-centric brand creates products, processes, policies, and cultures designed to support its customers through a great experience as they work toward their goals.

The four best practices of customer-centric brands are:
1. They prioritize the importance of the customer: They understand what customers are looking for and use customer data to capture information and apply this across the organization.
2. They cater to customer needs and develop products and services around that.
3. They build relationships based on maximizing the customer's service and product experience.
4. They carefully analyse, plan and implement marketing strategies aimed at gaining and keeping customers who are profitable and loyal.

The change to make your company a truly customer-centric organization will be complex and lengthy, but don't be discouraged by this, as even the smallest changes in policies and processes can have a significant benefit for both employers and employees and even for customers.

Becoming a customer-centric organization is the ultimate step in unlocking the potential of customer value. Always put yourself in the customer's shoes, minimize their effort and maximize their value.