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for our projects on the subject of customer orientation.

Customer orientation

Improving customer orientation - becoming a customer-oriented company!

We support you in improving your customer orientation with

• a service concept — conception of customer orientation
• a service check — monitoring implementation
• service training — improving behaviour and attitudes

On challenging markets customer orientation is a decisive factor in providing a company with a competitive edge in positioning. Accordingly improving customer orientation as a strategic measure is the key to the development of the company.

For the success of such a strategic initiative it is decisive to follow an all-round approach. Slogans and superficial behavioural training of the "...What can I do for you" kind are not enough.

On the contrary, it is important to identify those key factors in customer orientation which allow the company to differentiate themselves from the competition. This requires an examination of the company's strategic positioning, the expectations of target customers/customer groups and the company's own performance.

The starting point for an overall concept of customer orientation is a customer orientation concept to be developed within the management group. This has to be activated decisively and implemented within the company with the right measures — across all hierarchical levels. This makes it clear that customer orientation has to be regarded as a management responsibility.

In order to really make progress the customer orientation concept has to be anchored in overall strategy. Processes within the company have to be examined and subjected to development along the internal customer-supplier chain. Implementation is supported by suitable monitoring instruments with which the achievement of the relevant targets can be systematically tracked.

In addition the leadership and feedback system (key data, management appraisal etc.) should be oriented towards the concept. This then means integrating customer orientation in the development of executive staff and the workforce, the agreed goals and recruitment policies.

A tested procedure for improving customer orientation:

• choice of location for customer orientation within the company
• developing a customer orientation concept with the management
• communicating the customer orientation concept — involving the workforce
• integrating the concept in the training of executives and other employees as well as in HR processes
• developing a measurement instrument (customer satisfaction index)
• measuring customer orientation internally and externally
• defining measures for improving customer orientation
• linking the initiative for customer orientation with the CIP process
• interface workshops for improving internal cooperation
• directing processes in a customer-oriented way
• regular reviews on the status of customer orientation

Customer orientation can very much be regarded as a long-term and complex subject for corporate development. When consistently and comprehensively approached it equally covers strategic, cultural and behavioural aspects, as well as operational and methodological factors. Such a holistic approach is necessary if real results are to be achieved and provide more than just a few polite slogans on the telephone.

We will be happy to send you on request our article"Consistent customer orientation", written by Jürgen Peterke for the "Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaft" (journal of labour sciences), Issue 05/2005.

Download article (article is in German): "Consistent customer orientation".

or request per email from: jp@jp-consulting.de