When you mention ‘Customer Focus’ a lot of people immediately think of their sales department. The reality is that good Customer Focus must be designed into every part of your business. A recent interaction with our Insurance Broker is testament to this… I’ve been with my Broker a couple of years. They’ve generally been happy, helpful and responsive and I have my insurance. Insurance is just one of the things my business needs. It’s a hygiene factor. I don’t get excited about it, but I’m satisfied. A couple of months ago we sought to increase our cover to comply with the purchasing policy of [...]

People often think that becoming customer-focused will increase costs – they’re scared that it will mean more staff, better technology and more features. But sometimes, there are simple little things that can make a huge difference. Let me share the tale of two coffee shops… As a Consultant, I find myself in different parts of town every day. Coffee is part of my routine wherever I go, so I get to observe a whole range of rituals at different coffee shops. There are two that fascinate me from a customer experience perspective. Both coffee shops serve good coffee, make me feel welcome and [...]

I’m told that one of the greatest skills I have is the ability to translate my day-to-day interactions into lessons on how to become a more customer-focused organisation. Useful? Absolutely! I founded 3rdView Consulting with a vision to make Brisbane the most customer-focused city in Australia. That doesn’t mean every interaction has to be an outstanding, over-the-top, Cirque du Soleil kind of experience, it just means that interactions are easy, smooth and without niggles or complaints. Hundreds of times each day I find myself observing ordinary interactions from the outside – seeing different perspectives on the situation. By doing this, [...]