Many companies will assure you that they are customer-centric. However, the definition of “customer centricity” has as many answers as does the definition of customer success. “We love our customers!” is the cry. “They are at the center of everything we do!” Are they? Anyone can claim to be customer-centric, there is no trademark on the term. The authenticity of being customer-centric, however, is frequently another matter.
In my opinion, the most fertile ground for Customer Success as a profession to grow and to achieve stellar levels of performance is in authentically customer-centric subscription-model companies. Therefore, it’s vital that CS executives accurately understand the true centricity of their companies and proceed accordingly. But how should one go about determining the authenticity of customer-centricity claims? I’ve developed a short list of questions that I think are significant. Here’s the starting point:
What is your company’s main competitive advantage? How would:
- The CEO
- The VP of Sales
- The VP of Marketing,
- The VP of Product Development, and
- The CFO
answer that question? Are the answers consistent with one another and with the company’s messaging? Do they support the claim to being customer-centric, or are they more about the quality of the company’s products?
There are some more questions in a quick survey here on the Customer Success Association website that go into more detail, but the essence is: how well attuned is your company to the concept of product-as-a-relationship? And what does the answer mean to you?
Here’s the link to the brief survey:
Join us in The Customer Success Forum to discuss the findings.