“There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” -Sam Walton
Customer orientation is a business strategy that requires employees and managers to focus on the changing needs and demands of their customers. A company that is customer oriented regards its customer’s wants as their top priority.
Purshotam Company Private Limited has been serving the manufacturing industry and meeting their tracing and identification needs since a very long time. We offer a wide variety of marking solutions to our clients, along with top-notch industrial solutions. One of the major reasons for our success is our customer orientation.
Recently, more and more companies are getting inclined towards a customer-oriented approach in regards to their product design and marketing strategy. There are some companies which truly embrace the idea of customer orientation and make changes in their entire operations to fit the customer’s needs. Today, the management is encouraging its employees to suggest changes that would benefit the customers in the long run.
Example 1
A good example of customer orientation is the technology industry. Initially, consumers bought desktop computers for home use. Slowly, these computers were replaced by laptops in 2000 and then in 2010, they were further replaced by tablets and smart phones.
The wants and needs of a customer are always changing. A customer oriented company always focuses on the changing desires and tries to anticipate them for their future products.
Example 2
As soon as Apple realized that the tablet market was huge and that the customers were not satisfied with the current products available in the market, it introduced the iPad.
In order to get maximum customer orientation in your company, you need to add value to your products. A company that manufactures good products can retain and increase its customer base. Customer orientation involves 4 key steps so that the customers are happy and satisfied with the company:
- Develop
- Manufacture
- Market
- Deliver
Develop
Development of a product can be categorized into three basic elements: Product Design, Customer Needs and Development Time. You need to design your products keeping the customer needs, safety, wants and comfort in mind. Ensure that even the tiniest detail is captured during the product design. The product has to be developed keeping in mind what the customer desires and not what the company is capable of making. The development must be scalable and the company should be able to supply well if the demand increases and also quick. If the customers keep waiting for the product, they might shift their focus to another company.
Manufacturing
Ensure that you maintain the quality of your products. You need to also monitor and analyze the outputs of your manufacturing process. This includes reducing time of the manufacturing cycle and also optimizing it so that the company does not bear additional costs.
Market
You need to plan your marketing strategy in a proper way. First, you should segment the customers, target them and then run promotions to create awareness. Use advertising to build trust in your customers that your products have been manufactured after adhering to all the norms of manufacturing. Also, you need to maintain equilibrium between demand and supply. Do not let a gap generate as this will disappoint the customers.
Deliver
Deliver on all the promises which you gave at the design stage in your finished product, if you want to build your brand. Do not let the customer expectations go down the drain. Also, ensure that your customers feel that they have got value for their money. After-sales service is also an important aspect, which can keep your customers loyal to you in the long run.
If a company wants to be customer oriented, steps need to be taken right from the design stage until the product is delivered. This approach is different from the traditional approach where manufacturers used to produce only what they could.
Want to partner with an industrial solutions provider who delivers on promises? Reach out to us now.
