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them more effective and efficient? What difference will this make to your customers? How can you
improve on this even further?

8. Want to create stronger customer loyalty? Build the relationship. Let’s face it. It is about
customer loyalty, but it is also about repeat business. The number one way to maintain loyalty is to
build and maintain a relationship with your key customers. Come up with a plan. How are you going
to regularly interact with your customers? Customers are less likely to think about you if they don’t
hear from you. Then, add value. How are your products or services helping your customers? Use
real-life case studies of wins with key customers as a way of demonstrating your value. Think beyond
simply selling your products or services. How can you help your customers be more successful? Offer
a suggestion for a way to streamline processes. Help cut costs. Recommend a person for an open
position. Refer a potential customer to your customer. Go beyond the traditional sales cycle. Provide
additional value for your customers in unexpected ways.

9. Just looking externally? Delight your internal customers. Not all customers are external. Internal
customers are all those people who work every day to make the organization a success. There’s a
complex web of customer relationships and interdependencies across the organization. For example,
a sales person who does not work well with dispatch can cause service issues for the external
customer. A glitch in the relationship between a designer and production can delay speed to market.
First, identify your key internal customers. Who do you interact with on a regular basis? Who reviews
your work? Who is impacted by the quality of your product? Second, ask for feedback. How are you
doing? What would they like to change? Continue doing? Lastly, take action to improve your internal
customer experience. Think outside the box. Consider issues from their perspective. What can you do
to make their job easier? How can you help them be more successful? What information do you need
to supply? Shift your thinking and look for ways to create internal customer delight.

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive…
Merholz, P. (2009, March 6). The best way to understand your customers. Harvard Business
Review Blog Network.
Nauert, R. (2011, June 2). Employee satisfaction key for customer satisfaction. Psych Central.
Steinkirchner, S. (2012, August 22). 5 Ways to improve your customer service. Forbes.

Young Entrepreneur Council. (2013, December 4). 4 Ways to turn an angry customer into a satisfied
one at your startup. Upstart Business Journal.

10. Need a customer service process? Think “customer-in.” Always design your work and manage
your time from the customer in, not from you out. Your best will always be determined by your
customers, not you. Research suggests that companies that have restructured themselves around
customer needs are often more nimble and agile. These companies are able to respond quickly and
effectively to the needs of the customer. Try not to design and arrange what you do only from your
own view. The best innovation comes from the outside-in—your customers tell you what they need
and you respond by making improvements to products, services, or processes. Your customers know
what they want. All you need to do is ask them. Create an organization that listens to and then builds
on customer needs and requests. One of the most important aspects of great service is anticipation.

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