FUTURE INSIGHT

Really understanding what your customers want is always critical, but in tough times it's even more important. You know that, but right now efficiency and cost cutting are probably at the top of your priority list.

But it's also critical you keep customers happy, because they're going to be even more fickle in this climate. This means really thinking from their perspective - not yours - and ensuring every interaction they have with your business, service or products is optimised for THEM.

There are 7 fundamental truths you can address when delivering your products, services and experiences to you customers:

1. Really know your customer:
   How can you deliver the products and services they want and design a truly great customer experience, if you don't truly understand who you're dealing with and what they value? Don't base this on intuition base it on real customer insights. That means talking to them, diving deep and identifying their real 'human' needs and drivers.
2. Look at customer segmentation differently:
   Traditional segmentation usually defines where customers are different. It can be more effective to look at what 'types' of customers (from different demographic groups) have in common. Have you created specific and relevant customer vistas/personas? These are an incredibly potent tool for R&D, marketing and empowering your front-line staff .
3. Balance customer needs with your business needs:
   How can you address imbalances between what your customers 'really' want and what you've ended up offering them? Is what you offer the result of organic business evolution, historic influences or adherence to traditional sector expectations? Or is it based on what suits you best? Ultimately, are you really delivering what they really want, and can that be balanced by your businesses needs?
4. Keep It Simple:
   Use this maxim to measure everything you do. Overly complex customer analysis doesn't always help – and again, try to look at what the fundamental 'human' insights are that you can harness. In considering this, ask yourself, 'As a customer’ would I understand our offer? Is it easier to like than the competitor offers we have to choose from? What makes me choose one over the other? Why? It's not your customer's job to understand the intricacies of your business. If you have to work too hard to explain it - you're doing something wrong.
5. The hard-sell is the wrong sell:
   Take another look at how you engage with customers. Firing out hard-sell messages is an easy approach – but one that is supposed to be history. Customer sophistication and communications technology has changed everything. Today you need to think about building consumer communities - so word of mouth is now more critical than ever. Thinking objectively from a customer's perspective, would you bother telling your friends about your brand's story or offer, or the experiences you have had?
6. Make it easy for your people to deliver what customers want:
   Once you really know your customers, make sure your people do too - understanding ‘who’ you are doing it for and ‘why’ you're doing something makes the 'how' easier. Review the context they have, the permission to use their own relationship skills and the tools you provide them – is this really the best you can do? And last but not least, reward your people for delivering the kind of experience you're aiming for. It sounds simple, but have you got it right?
7. Keep it real:
   Is your relationship with customers and what you offer ‘modified for New Zealand’ conditions? The hardest thing is stepping back, cutting away the corporate face and being honest with yourself. It's also the most important. Are you really in touch with you staff and customers? If so do you know what it really means to walk their walk? Put yourself in your customer's shoes and ask yourself, 'Is the experience I offer really delivering on the promises we make?' and is it relating in a relevant and down to earth way?

Better experiences = better results:

Add these seven factors together and you will be much more likely to discover the priorities for you customers, the differences you can act upon and the best way to deliver an integrated experience based on meaningful customer insights and value. We believe this approach is just as crucial to helping your business ride out the current financial storm as any 'batten down the hatches' strategy. Crucially, it could also be the platform for setting you up for a stronger future.

At DNA we're looking to the future and constantly thinking about the issues and challenges that might present for our clients - and we've developed a powerful set of services to help deal with what you face. Contact us to find out more about how we mine and apply customer insights, the work we deliver clients to unlock the opportunities those insights afford and how we use them to guide us as we build better experiences and interactions for customers. To find out more about our approach, view our results or a range of DNA client case studies.

More information

For more information about Brand strategy and Creation contact:
Aaron Carson on 09 375 1592 or Gill Coltart on 04 499 0828

For more information about Web and Online services contact:
Hayden Vink on 09 375 1592 or Kat Elam on 04 499 0828

For more information about Retail and Customer Touch point Optimisation services contact: Martin Grant on 09 375 1592