Attaining Breakthrough through Caring for Customers

There are many reasons Organizations strive to accomplish significant and meaningful improvements. Without a doubt, actions of the leadership team set the pace and guide the direction of change. The moment Art Byrne became the C.E.O of Wiremold in 1991, the very first thing he instilled into the mindset of his management and staff was; 

Productivity=Wealth

As simple as this statement seem, it is very powerful because it brought about a certain mindset. Productivity is a key economic factor in terms of fighting inflation, staying above the competition on the global basis, and promoting business growth. This is what the Toyota Motor Company has done so well over the years. In other to be competitive, all organizations need to work with an ongoing sense of renewal.

One of the most meaningful ways to distinguish an organization is to have the people inside gain a better understanding of the voice of customers.

The fact that every Organization wants to deliver business excellence, higher customer satisfaction and superior profit might not be enough to move any organization above the competition level.

With the everyday change in product, services and taste of customers, any organization will have to move above what they are presently giving. Sometimes we might think we are actually meeting customers’ need until a new product or service is introduced with a new near zero defects. Only then do we realize our services or products actually have more than 5 percent defect. For every product produced there is always improvement.

Organizations however, do not have to wait until another product or service set the pace or dictates which direction we should move or push us out of the market.

The Nigerian Telecommunication industry is a perfect example; when MTN (one of the major players in that industry) came, calls were very expensive because their charges were expensive. They realized an outstanding profit in a short while though, it never lasted when Globacom arrived, they introduced per-seconds billing and MTN lost some of their customers to Globacom who forced them (MTN) to introduce per-seconds billing too. Per-seconds billing was already obtainable, the technology was already available, but they didn’t offer their subscribers that option until Globacom said it was possible to pay for exactly the number of minutes calling.

Globacom dictated the pace of the market for a while too until per-second billing era made no more sense but better services and cheaper calls era came. Etisalat came with this offer. Sure they must have done their research and weighed what is obtainable.

 I just got an Etisalat line, not just for their subscriber’s friendly packages but for their adverts, promo and creativity; I enjoy listening to all their adverts that I feel so proud carrying an Etisalat line. Let me be blunt, I’ve  thought about throwing my MTN line away several times and I can’t imagine how many more Nigerians are thinking just this way.

I believe company’s services or products reflect what motivates the investors, either for solution or just profit maximization. Those with the profit maximization mindset will only carry out campaign influenced by this mindset. 

My Point

Microsoft came into the IT world with solution in mind and the reward cannot be over emphasized. Investors that want to make money should only focus on solutions. Profit is inevitable with customer’s satisfaction and loyalty.

People (Customers) + Satisfaction = Profit (Wealth)

I believe Breakthrough can be attained and maintained if Management in any organization can adopt Caring for Customers from planning to sales or service delivery. Even if your organization is the first in the industry:

1.      Are Ford products better and cheaper than Toyota or Honda products?

2.      Are ford products customer caring oriented?

3.      If I stand in any Nigerian neighborhood, how many Ford do I see and how many Toyota do I see within five minute?

In my compound, there are four Toyotas and a Honda Civic but can’t even think of the last time I set my eyes on a Ford.

Care driven organizations will forever drive in loyal customers. Loyal customers imply profit and market leadership.

Uduak Akpan