Steve Downton, Downton Service Management Consultants Ltd, Noventum Group
The phrase - “Put yourself in the Customer’s shoes” – is often heard in sales meetings as a way to sell more effectively. Knowing the needs of your customers and fulfilling them, more and more efficiently, should enhance the relationship from that of 'vendor' to 'long-term partner'.
In most cases the customers’ perspective is, in reality, that the offering is limited. The customer’s requirements might be best served with a bespoke solution and the challenge to the supplier is to provide this unique solution, cost effectively. In addition, certain suppliers adopt the attitude that, as specialists, they know what is best practice, because it is inherent in the product or solution they deliver, and they then use this to promote a specified offering with the argument of - why change.
The value of the best practice solution is often presented as a Return on Investment (ROI) statement: hardware, software, added technology, or outsourcing will pay for itself within 9 to 12 months. But don't forget: the product has to be implemented, which could take between 9 to 12 months of hard labour. Also we are confronted with the whole e-business pressure of speed. The real service issue that any project of this type will be done in front of the customer and if the current system is working, however inefficiently, why change it. The service industry is usually the most under-invested part of all businesses today. In fairness this probably is more a reflection of service directors doing the best they can with the limited resources available.
So how can vendors of service solutions put themselves in their customers' shoes?
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