Customer Centricity … 10 Ways Dell Bests Its Competition

 

Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it.  It is what the client or customer gets out of it.

- Peter Drucker

 

There are many companies that claim to be customer centric.  Many less that truly earn that reputation … Walt Disney, Zappos, Dell, Amazon, just to name a few that we study. This post focuses on Dell and how it employs customer centricity to increase its competitive position.

 

In our book, the customer is the priority without hesitation. Why?  Because gaining confidence of your customers builds relationships and building relationships with customers gains their trust.  Customers select businesses most often through their trust in the business and its people.

 

So how does Dell  make sure being customer centric is rule 1?

 

Consider these 10 ways they use with  customers to ensure it is rule 1:

 

Focus on customer needs … not his wallet.  If you meet his needs consistently over time, the wallet may even pay a premium. They employ more employees listening and engaging customers on-line than any other company we have come across.

 

Inspire employees … to care about customer service.  They delegate authority to them to act in the best interest of the customer … and train them in making wise decisions.

 

Build customer … confidence, relationships, and trust.

 

Continually look to … gain new customer insights through listening and observing closely. Customer insights are one of their most important assets reflecting their investment in social media.

 

Continuous improvements in all aspects of customer touchpoints … based on these new insights.

 

Establish customer segmentation based on their needs. This permits them to target their customer needs and  objectives better.

 

View the customer base … as portfolio of customers segments. Understand the needs of each.

 

Never overlook details as ‘unimportant’.  Quite the opposite is true … the details are where the good insights reside.

 

Always digging deeper into customer understanding and decision making.

 

Validate and continually refine all insights. Gaining good insights is a continuous process.

 

What about you … who are your good examples of customer centric companies?

 

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