Own the customer relationship

A while back I posed a question on the DMA's Customer Relationship Council blog.  I was trying to stir up a conversation on the topic to see if others believed as I do that everyone in an organization owns the customer relationship.  Many people may believe this is the sole responsibility of marketing, sales, customer service or technology. But IMO, everyone needs to take some responsibility for customers, because let’s face it: without customers you have no business.  Yes, everyone from CEOs down to shipping clerks need to own the customer experience, so that customers indeed keep coming back.

I am lucky to work for a company that empowers everyone to 'make it better' for our clients.  If we see something broken, we fix it.  No meetings or check lists of approvals... we just make the process for our clients better.  End of story.

Seth Godin had a great post about great receptionists.  His point was that it is easy to be a typical receptionist but a great one can impact your overall business with very little, but thoughtful effort.  I think the same outlook on customer relationships holds true.  Go for the WOW effect and make every customer feel special and important.  Under promise and over deliver and you will have customers for life. 

Next time you are writing a job description or doing an employee review, think about your customers and how that position or person can shape your customer's impression of your business.

In a future post, I will discuss how you might be able to turn a dissatisfied customer into an advocate.

While I work on that post, answer these questions for me: I would love to hear what others are doing.

• What is your company's approach to customer relationships?
• What can you do in your role that will impact your customer relationships?
• When was the last time you spoke with or listened to your customers?