Steve Downton, Downton Service Management Consultants Ltd, Noventum Group
As businesses slowly begin to come round from the negativity of the last 18 months, and inspect their operations for damage, I have an image of a scene of battle reminiscent of Star Wars with some crafts relatively unharmed, others badly damaged and some destroyed. The banking crisis which presaged the recession was, for some companies, like walking unknowingly into a minefield; almost overnight a relatively buoyant economic environment went into complete meltdown. Most companies just slammed on their brakes and closed down everything other than essential life support systems. Many companies are beginning to assess the damage, check out their systems and gradually beginning to fire up their engines. There will be many questions about causes and why almost everyone was taken by surprise, but one thing is certain – most companies need to improve their customer radar and detection systems if they are to safely navigate at speed through the new environment.
It is arguable that a great number of the existing detection mechanisms (customer surveys, feedback forms) completely fail to identify the problems and issues that have followed the banking crisis – until too late, and any sensors in place are now proving to be little or no use (akin to expecting an ordinary camera to pick up infra-red). Unfortunately most companies do not even have a base mechanism in place that really understands their market and customers, and those that do, appear not to understand how to develop or use them in the new environment.
Failing to fully understand the customer experience can be demonstrated by the fact that even Mr Bulmer, the head of Microsoft admitted they might have got it wrong with Vista; and the CEO of Vodafone has promised to start listening to the customers. Google’s new invention “Wave”, was put into the public domain because it was recognised that without mass acceptance/approval it would never succeed. Companies must learn to speak to customers more honestly because customers will measure the actuality of the delivery and not the patter or the promise. Reading between the lines of all these plans, unless their “Customer Radar” is fully tuned in to the customers suppliers will not be able to act quickly as their customers react.
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