CLIENT SERVICE
CLIENT SERVICE
Do You Really Understand Your Clients ?
By Denis Mbau
Being a communications consultant , you may not know which project or industry you will work on next . Today you are working on a hospitality industry project only to be thrust into the unknown NGO space and the following day you are swimming with the military as you tell their tale .
Anyway , in the past month I have been privileged to be working in the sports industry , boxing to be specific . Sports is an industry I have never previously been involved in , save for the constant rants and commentaries as I purport to be a die-hard Manchester United fan .
It ’ s great that the principles of communication are universal and applicable in all facets , but the issue of really understanding what the customer needs from the products you market is the paradox that keeps me awake other than where the next job will come from .
Whether a B2B or a B2C business , knowing and understanding what the customer wants is at the centre of every successful business .
You see , customers nowadays are bombarded with so much ‘ noise ’, everybody trying to sell them everything all the time . Well and good , but do customers get to hear you with all the distraction ? Most likely no ! Are there ways that can improve your ranking in terms of customer visibility ? Most certainly yes !
This is why communication is a key driver in assisting organizations to understand their customers better and to deliver exceptionally .
Before we delve into ways of understanding your customers , this is the reality we are confronted with today : Consumers are more enlightened than ever before . The
You see , customers nowadays are bombarded with so much ‘ noise ’, everybody trying to sell them everything all the time . Well and good , but do customers get to hear you with all the distraction ? Most likely no ! Are there ways that can improve your ranking in terms of customer visibility ? Most certainly yes ! digital revolution has ensured they have information on their fingertips ; Proper customer segmentation is harder as customer diversity continues to increase ; Information exposure means customers are less loyal and trusting especially in industries whose reputations have suffered such as banking , hospitality , medicine and media ; Information overload confuses customers .
However , do not let the harsh realities of this world put you off . The thing is that in order to give exceptionally great service , you must first understand your customers . This is why in the branding world they say that a ‘ brand is a promise ’, which simply means that your product or service is a promise to fulfil a certain need .
To understand your customers well , you need to be attentive to their need , be proactive in reinventing your products and service while playing prophet - foretelling changes in behaviour that may occur in future . Once you understand your customers , you can easily create brand loyalty .
There are some pointers that can guide you to understand your customers better
What can I do for you ?
Your business should be clear on what it has to offer customers . It , therefore , needs to develop a Unique Value proposition ( UVP ). This is the key differentiator of
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