Customer centricity: the prime directive of business

You may have the coolest product, the most modern website, and the most eye-catching marketing campaign, but if your customer service is lacking, your ecommerce venture might be doomed before it gets off the ground. After all, 96% of customers claim that customer service is an integral part to either making or breaking their loyalty to any given brand. Thankfully, there’s a way to set yourself apart from the competition. A strategy that will put you head-and-shoulders above giants like Amazon, because you can focus on something that a gigantic company can’t. What you need is to correctly implement the customer centricity business model.

What does it mean to be customer centric?

We could offer dozens of customer centricity examples, but we would be over-complicating a very simple concept. The customer centricity meaning is as follows- put the customer first. Not only first, but at the very center of your business. . Delivering great customer service can make the difference between a customer buying from your brand only once, and returning again and again to buy from your shop. As such, you should implement strategies that focus on the customer at all points during the customer’s journey- not just at the first point of sale. This way, you’re able to maintain long-term relationships that bring repeat customers back to your business again and again. This is distinct from a product-centric approach, where you focus only on the purchases. To be frank, that’s a bit of a short-sighted approach in today’s interconnected world. Worry not, though. We have the tips that can help.

How do you consistently put the customer first?

The key to customer centricity is excellent customer service. To deliver top-notch customer support, you have to get into the mind of the customer and treat them excellently. A good metric is whether you’re treating your shoppers like you would want to be treated, or giving them the same experience you would want a good friend or member of your family to have. Here are a few simple tips that will help you achieve that goal.

First, proactiveness. It’s absolutely essential to know how you’ll solve common issues before they crop up. How long do your customers have to request a return or exchange? Who is responsible for shipping? What happens if a package gets lost? All these questions deserve a few minutes of your time to fully think through before you’re put on the spot to ensure you can provide the best customer support.

Second, it’s important to meet your buyer where they are. If they’re frustrated, it’s important to acknowledge their frustration before attempting to determine which solution works best for them. Understand that they’re only interested in getting the product they paid for. They don’t necessarily have all the information about fulfillment, supply chain interruptions, or other problems like you do.

Lastly, consistency. Have a plan in place for the maximum amount of time that can elapse before you address a question or complaint. Speedy service makes for buyers who feel attended to and like their business matters, and it makes a world of difference whether a customer receives an answer within four hours or four days! Of course, that doesn’t mean that you have to be refreshing your email 24/7 to maintain good service delivery. No, indeed. In fact, many business owners choose to outsource their customer care operations for exactly this reason. For a small fee, you can have round-the-clock monitoring for whenever an issue crops up.

In conclusion

We here at P2Pseller are happy to show you the ropes when it comes to customer centricity to make your ecommerce selling life as smooth and simple as humanly possible. But in our opinion, good relations with your buyers begins with top-class fulfillment. The fewer delays there are, the fewer delays you’ll have to explain. Register a free account with us today to browse the full extent of our offerings and see what we can do for you and your business. We’d be ecstatic to partner with you and have you on board for the ecommerce revolution.