Customer Focus

A lot has been written about Jeff Bezos' laser focus on customer service.  (Here's one.)  The same can be said about Steve Jobs' unrelenting focus on user experience.  Kip Tindell of The Container Store has stressed in many interviews how he and puts employees first, which drive customer satisfaction.  There are other companies that focus on the customer as one of their top priorities, and it shows in customer satisfaction surveys - Southwest, Starbucks, and USAA among others.  All these companies take different paths, but the end result is the same.

I believe that, while not a guarantee, focusing on the customer is a huge factor in a company's success.

Amazon, Apple, and The Container Store all sell goods and services.  Focusing on the customer buying their products should come as second nature.  But as Operations practitioners or IT professionals, focusing on the customer may not come naturally.  We focus on process, and finding efficiencies, solutions and technology. 

As professionals who do not  sell on a day-to-day basis, we must strive to identify who our customers are and focus on them.  We must evaluate each policy, process, solution and technology with a focus on our customers: will it help, or will it hinder our customer?  We must not put policies in for the sake of policies, or technology because they are cool, or a solution that benefits somebody else, but burdens our customer.

This reminds me of an article I read many years ago about the idea that we are all salespeople at some point or another in our lives.  At a job interview, we sell ourselves.  In our jobs, we may have to sell an idea to a group.  In all those situations, focus on the customer, present what's in it for them.  What value will you or your idea bring to them?

Like a company selling its wares, while focusing on the customer will not guarantee your success, it surely will increase your chances.