In marketing, anticipating your (potential) customers†needs and desires is considered standard practice.

In HR, anticipating your customers†— the people who work with you — needs and desires, is a rather novel idea.

Anticipate your customers†expectations as well as you can, and cater to them, preferably before they manifest themselves.

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Take Coolblue, for instance. They came up, very successfully, against all odds. In an era where the electronics retailer market was already very saturated.

You know how the edge of your lips curls up when you bring about a satisfied smile? That’s what they obsess over. Their motto; everything for a smile.

Companies are a byproduct of startups obsessing over customer satisfaction.

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With every new bell and whistle added, ask the same question repeatedly. What problem is this solving?

All (new) features should cluster around solving the same solution to the problem your customer is experiencing. If they don’t, reconsider.

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When products and services are offered for sale, there has to be a customer on the receiving end. How many times is there a customer in the meeting room, though? If it isn’t a focus group, but a good old regular meeting, there is almost never a customer among the attendees.

Obviously, having a firm empathic understanding of the customer is the job of some of the people within the company, especially the people in marketing and sales. However, without the voice of the customer in the room, the risk of concluding with critical assumptions is substantial.

Keep your customers close.

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Supermarkets have quick scan checkout systems. Restaurants have QR menus enabling customers to order straight from their mobile. Reducing the waiters to transporting food between the kitchen and the table.

While it makes much sense from the business point of view to optimize, unfortunately, today’s approach is often to replace (costly) humans. Or increase capacity through technology. Resulting in a generic, less personal approach. The days of pleasant chitchat with the friendly cashier who asks about the family are long gone. Obviously, in a large urban context, it’s nearly impossible to maintain. But this isn’t an all-or-nothing issue.

The goal of implementing technology shouldn’t be to replace humans altogether. It should be to clear time so humans can create genuine added value through a customer-centric approach.

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Yes, but depending on how different the businesses are, the learnings may be very limited in number.

One universal principle that never goes out of fashion, though, is customer-centricity. Buzzword bingo aside, putting your customer first, anticipating their needs as much as possible, and providing stellar service is always beneficial for every type of business.

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