Jen Spencer, CEO of SmartBug Media, a digital agency specializing in optimizing customer lifecycles, emphasizes the importance of companies putting their customers first. In her experience, many companies unknowingly lose focus on their customers, resulting in a loss of trust and difficulties in regaining it.
Spencer identifies several common ways companies fail to put their customers first. These include poor customer service, hidden fees and pricing tricks, ignoring feedback, over-promising and under-delivering, inflexible policies, lack of customization, inadequate quality control, a short-term focus on profitability expense of customer relationships, invasive data collection and ignoring market trends.
Another area where companies can fail is negative interactions on social media, where defensive or confrontational communication can damage the company’s reputation. Additionally, a lack of employee training in customer service skills can lead to misunderstandings and loss of trust. Communication breakdowns, such as incorrect information on websites or Google listings, can also affect the customer experience.
Excessive upselling, while a revenue opportunity, can also alienate customers if done without taking their genuine needs into account. Spencer highlights the importance of strategies that put customers first and make them feel valued, and promises to cover them in a future article. The Forbes Business Council is recognized as a leading organization for business growth and networking, with opportunities for business owners and leaders to connect and learn from each other.
