Why use the word obsessed? 

It’s a strong visual word, but its negative connotation can conjure up images of an episode of Hoarders or Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. In this case, obsession is meant to provoke an emotional response and inspire customer engagement that is passionate, specific, and focused.

Why do businesses and employees need to be customer-obsessed? 

For far too long, businesses have been paying lip service to customer engagement. But with the emergence of the empowered customer and the proliferation of cloud, social, and mobile technologies, that time is now. So, how do you really attract customers, and what pushes them away? What does it take to make a customer for life? These are core questions at the heart of every business today—and the real answers might surprise you. Driving real customer engagement and multi-generation loyalty may have less to do with the product you deliver and more with how it gets delivered. With the prevalence of social media, the experience each customer has when engaging with your brand not only impacts that individual’s future interactions, it has the potential to influence your customer pool at large.

Apple is a good example of company who 'gets customer engagement.' However, sometimes Apple's success has little to do with their products, and more with the way a customer experiences the Apple brand. For starters, you can walk into a Apple store and receive on-demand help from knowledgeable, friendly staff without waiting in a queue. “Wait, you don't actually need to stand in a line anymore?!” Additionally, who would have envisioned that in the era of online retail shopping, customers would actually want to go INTO a brick and mortar store? Well, apparently millions, because Wall Street names Apple as one of the most profitable retail stores in America. 

Take a look at Uber, a company that has literally transformed city transportation convenience. They took everything a person hates about getting a cab (especially in San Francisco) and made it simple and easy. From a cashless transaction to service on-demand, they tell you where, when, and how, all through your mobile—effectively eliminating those 30+ minute waits on a street corner. 

Someone at Uber has been listening to the customer. Someone is obsessed with viewing their company from the outside in. Remember, sometimes it’s the little things that can make a huge difference, like giving call center employees the right tools and information they need to engage the customer. Or incentivizing employees for ‘doing right’  by the customer and actually resolving issues rather than just looking at key performance indicators (KPIs) that focus on call deflection.

Driving real customer engagement and providing a memorable and—more importantly—sharable positive customer experience, takes an organization-wide effort. Every person who touches a customer needs to be obsessed with delivering on your brand promise. Too often, businesses look to the holy grail of technology to transform customer experience. Flexible technologies like cloud, social, and mobile can provide the tools necessary to help businesses respond quickly to customers’ needs. Unfortunately, we’ve seen these tools often implemented by senior managers who haven’t spent time ‘walking in the customer’s shoes.’ What ends up being delivered to the employees (and ultimately the customer) is management’s perception of customer values, rather than an accurate model based upon measurable customer feedback. Businesses can therefore implement solutions that miss key opportunities to drive deeper engagement and customer advocacy. Reading blogs about how to improve your customer experience is a good starting point, but you can't replace the process of sitting in the customer’s shoes and mapping how they will interact with your brand at every stage. Human interaction and empathy are key; technology alone won't get you there.

Over the next few weeks, we will discuss real world stories of enterprises that have gone beyond the rhetoric to get personal with their customers, and analyze how it's transforming not only the business, but also its employees. We will provide actionable lessons based on our experience as a global business consulting firm that specializes in helping clients get closer to their customers. Bon Journey! 

Feel free to leave a comment and share your experiences, or reach out to me on Twitter at @csklar.