From irate to advocate

Customers are a bit of a double edged sword – they are the reason we exist, they are a constant source of innovation, a treasure. But they can also be the bane of our lives.

No matter what industry sector, or type of organisation, no matter how good we are at what we do, no matter how much we invest in communication with them, no matter how much we invest in serving them, no matter what, some customers will be almost impossible to please or satisfy.

Irate customers, in particular, can be very challenging and part of that challenge is to create positive outcomes from negative beginnings. Our main focus must always be on building stronger relationships across our customer base rather than with individuals – irate or not. We shou ld be aiming to have our customers be our advocates. That’s the bigger challenge.

Intuitive Customer Management™ (ICM) – is the next stage in the development of customer relationships. The Intuitive model demands that Customer Services is shaped on the customer’s terms. It shapes the rules, defines processes and the training needs of people dealing with customer interactions at the coal face. To have our customers as our advocates we must allow them to shape the terms and then we must act on them.