Sreemoyee Dastidar, CoE Lead - Customer Experience, Philips, 0
Customer-centricity is frequently perceived as a change in brand culture or mindset; in reality, it's more of an all-encompassing company strategy that calls for more than just taking customers' needs into account for better customer experience. Businesses must prioritize customer experience management and the needs and desires of their consumers above all else when making decisions and taking action if they hope to accomplish more than just "keeping customers in mind." Organizations must commit to their customers' success on a corporate level if they really aim to become customer-centric, customer retention, and gain customer empathy. Talking more about the challenges and opportunities through an exclusive interview with CEO Insights is Sreemoyee Dastidar, CoE Lead - Customer Experience, Philips. Below is an excerpt from the interview.
How can the leaders create a customer-centric culture within their team?
As a brand, customer centricity or customer obsession needs to be built into your organizational culture. Your team and smaller teams collectively represent your brand's value. When your CEO speaks at a global Town Hall, emphasizing the importance of keeping the customer in mind or outlining initiatives aimed at improving customer experience, such messaging resonates and leaves a lasting impression across the organizational structure. Hence, I think the first step is to ensure that your company has a culture rooted in customer centricity. Then, as a leader, you can reinforce that message.
One thing that stays with people is authenticity. Lacking a customer-centric approach shows that the person is merely echoing his / her CEO's previous statements and lacks genuine concern. Genuine authenticity is crucial. Even when addressing just a few individuals, if the message is sincere and accurately reflects the customers, it has a lasting impact.
How teams can better leverage technology to create overwhelming experiences?
Technology is just such a small word with many repercussions. I think, first, you have to define how much technology you want to adopt and adapt and then figure out what your customers need. Because if the customer is not considered at the beginning of your problem statement or solution finding, the end product will not reflect customer-centricity. It is important to have the technology to leverage whatever good it can do for you.
However, it is also equally important to ensure customers are ready for that. For example, let's say I have a customer base containing 60 percent really old people, and I am selling a kind of geriatric device to them. In such situations, having a chatbot will not help your consumers because they are far older and reluctant users of your digital platforms. Hence, you have to figure out what channel works for them and what technology works for you. Understanding and segmenting your consumer base is crucial. Determine which ones are more prevalent and how best to accommodate them. However, technology has its uses and might be detrimental if utilized improperly.
How do you maintain brand integrity while following sustainability principles?
Sustainability is not cheap. To make your brand sustainable or to make your product sustainable, you have to spend a considerable amount of money. The good part is that it pays rich dividends later if you invest in sustainable things now and continue them going forward. In that way, I think it is a choice that you need to make because the impact on your cost is going to be significant, and your brand has to be in a healthy, mature stage to take that impact. I would say that don't do sustainability for the sake of it. As a result, it will then become a part of your brand integrity anyway because you have taken your time to make this decision to make your brand or product sustainable.
What methodologies do the leaders implement to estimate the cost of ideas and forecast their expected value to secure approval and support from key stakeholders?
Possessing unprecedented data is the most generally employed method. Using historical data, you can forecast future events. If your data is strong, reliable, and clean, it's easy to extrapolate a time frame that is both relatable and credible because it's not the data that's initiating the process—rather, it's you as the leader telling people to go ahead and do this. Data is the one directing you to take this action. Hence, you are telling your stakeholders that this might be your best recommendation, and it's always good to have a plan B. What if the stakeholder does not agree? Well, you must always have a plan B. The stakeholders can also see how committed you are to your recommendation and how prepared you are.
What would be your advice to budding leaders in the industry?
My advice would be two-fold. One is that we live in a world of disruption. Don't stop learning, even if it is just reading and mathematics. We are all busy at the end of the day. Our work and personal lives coexist. Thus, try to bring a balance to it. The second part is that no matter what you do in your professional life, Never, ever ignore your preserves.
I think it is a choice that you need to make because the impact on your cost is going to be significant, and your brand has to be in a healthy, mature stage to take that impact
How do you maintain brand integrity while following sustainability principles?
Sustainability is not cheap. To make your brand sustainable or to make your product sustainable, you have to spend a considerable amount of money. The good part is that it pays rich dividends later if you invest in sustainable things now and continue them going forward. In that way, I think it is a choice that you need to make because the impact on your cost is going to be significant, and your brand has to be in a healthy, mature stage to take that impact. I would say that don't do sustainability for the sake of it. As a result, it will then become a part of your brand integrity anyway because you have taken your time to make this decision to make your brand or product sustainable.
What methodologies do the leaders implement to estimate the cost of ideas and forecast their expected value to secure approval and support from key stakeholders?
Possessing unprecedented data is the most generally employed method. Using historical data, you can forecast future events. If your data is strong, reliable, and clean, it's easy to extrapolate a time frame that is both relatable and credible because it's not the data that's initiating the process—rather, it's you as the leader telling people to go ahead and do this. Data is the one directing you to take this action. Hence, you are telling your stakeholders that this might be your best recommendation, and it's always good to have a plan B. What if the stakeholder does not agree? Well, you must always have a plan B. The stakeholders can also see how committed you are to your recommendation and how prepared you are.
What would be your advice to budding leaders in the industry?
My advice would be two-fold. One is that we live in a world of disruption. Don't stop learning, even if it is just reading and mathematics. We are all busy at the end of the day. Our work and personal lives coexist. Thus, try to bring a balance to it. The second part is that no matter what you do in your professional life, Never, ever ignore your preserves.