The Prism staff sat down with Truis' Professional Services Group and asked them to answer a number of questions regarding the ins and outs of managing clients' customer intelligence programs.
Q: Are customers actually comfortable talking to you?
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Taylor Elsea,
Client Service Executive
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A: Absolutely. When we launch a program, we roll it out to both our clients and their customers, so customers know what to expect from the program. We're not calling them because we need information to meet a deadline or posing any loaded questions. Our goal is to better understand their experiences, which is important to them. Most of the time, customers are flattered that someone wants to know how they are doing. I once had a conversation, with a customer that was comfortable enough to ask me if I'd like to meet his son. I had to explain to him that his proposal didn't really align with the goals of the program. I guess, in this case, I was the flattered one.
Q: If you were training a Customer Intelligence Manager, what is one piece of advice you would give?
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Gordon Lichter,
Client Service Executive
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A: Make sure that customers understand that the information they provide will be shared and acted upon. And the brief time they spend speaking with you will result in more progressive products and services that will help them perform their jobs more efficiently. Most customers know things you don't and want to be heard. It's more than worth it to listen to them.
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All I really need to know about running a successful business, I learned from my customers. Since shaking my first customer's hand, I've realized the critical importance of knowing the thoughts and faces of my customers. To date, these are my revelations:
- Customer perception is reality. My company is only as good as its customers. They are the reason I am in business, and they can tell me more about my efforts than I could ever learn on my own. My customers see things that I can't. And I need their perspective to understand my purpose.
- Customers are people, not spreadsheets. People are social; they communicate by nature. I want to know the face behind every name in my database. Instead of running reports, I will talk to my customers.
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To provide an idea of the information that lies untapped in a typical customer base, The Prism Staff pulled the following verbatim quotations from routine discussions between Truis and clients' customers. Customer quotations are categorized by Goodness, Badness, and Ugliness.
*For confidentiality purposes, company, industry, and product names are not included.
THE GOOD
"A recent Return On Investment (ROI) calculation determined that our net profits, facilitated by Company X's products, were at least $500,000 for each existing NT platform."
Director of IT
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