The definition of great customer service is changing…for the better. The Customer 3D™ approach is taking suppliers’ expectations to a new dimension for their customers. What used to be acceptable in the product-centered world is being expanded by a new, customer-centered mentality. My book, Customer 3D: A New Dimension for Customers, was released today. I am […]

Customer service is being re-invented with an attitude that is very different from what we are used to seeing. Companies are beginning to think forward for their customers—to anticipate how they can become a more valuable partner. Steve Jobs once described the difference between TV and the Web as Lean Back vs. Sit Forward media. […]

We have enough complexity already. Consequently, we have less and less patience with suppliers that expect us to figure out how to do business with them. We have heard a lot in recent years about the Chief Customer Officer (CCO). How about an Anti-Complexity Officer whose job it is to advocate for simplified processes for […]

Steve Jobs once described the difference between TV and the Web as Lean Back vs. Sit Forward media. Today,we have created a world in which access to everything is more direct—news, information searches, etc. From the standpoint of effort we have to put into it, we expect tomorrow's product or process to be easier and more intuitive for us. In this new world order, a Sit Forward organization must have a different metabolism to keep its customers involved.

The mindset of many futurists, unfortunately, relies on the tendency to see the future as simply a variation on the present. Today, while most product-centered companies are focused on the limited, “predictable” ways of working for their customers, another movement is emerging — Customer 3D™.

Customer 3D™ is delivering a more customer-centered alternative, in contrast to those organizations who still insist on thinking about customer service as they did years ago. In the 1960's, Bob Dylan wrote and sang, “Your old road is Rapidly agin' (The Times They are A-Changing)” but the message is still true. The future will belong to businesses that are more creative and empathetic than what we have accepted as good enough until now.

The definition of great customer service is changing…for the better. The Customer 3D™ approach is taking suppliers’ expectations to a new dimension for their customers. What used to be acceptable in the product-centered world is being expanded by a new, customer-centered mentality.

Black Friday techniques are built on short-term tactics that primarily benefit the seller. A customer-centered mindset thinks differently. It focuses on long-term connections that are grounded in making customers more committed to maintaining a strong relationship with their suppliers.

3D customer thinking within organizations makes those companies very difficult to copy. The Customer 3D™ system takes customer-centricity to a new dimension by delivering real differentiation between your organization and the rest of the market.

Customer 3D™ businesses focus on identifying new opportunities. Whereas product-centered companies during “down” times ask customers for additional orders on existing products, Customer 3D™ organizations look for new products and processes for customers.

Mature organizations have chosen to center their activities on what is best for the customer. Their primary purpose is customer success and they approach this goal with, as Nietzsche said, the intensity of a child at play.

Boundaries disappear with a customer strategy that is proactive and focused, not reactive. It should articulate a basic philosophy that aligns all employees and brings confidence and clarity to how they can contribute to stronger customer connections.

The Anti-Complexity Officer would advocate for simplified processes allowing no compromises internally when the customer is involved.

A simple pronoun can mean the difference between sustainability and stagnation for an organization. Customer-centered workplaces always think “outside-in” by figuratively bringing their customers inside and reflecting a mindset of helping the customer succeed.

Customer-centricity simply doesn’t happen without deeply caring employees who are encouraged to innovate for their customers. It cannot be mandated. It needs to be cultural. They have to feel they are part of building something that is purposeful.

There is a fundamental quality of great customer relations that many organizations have lost. The timeless system for customers is not going back, but beyond what exists today. The new paradigm represents congruence with your customers. It is authentic.