The “Customer Centric Filter”

Using the  “Customer Centric Filter” Will Improve Your Marketing

Actions speak louder than words.  Psychologists tell us that how we perceive our actions (and the related consequences) are often quite different from reality.  They refer to this as “Egocentric Bias” People in general tend to “sugar coat” our actions and give ourselves more credit than we deserve.  “Yes, I  am a kind person.  generous, a good listener, and everyone LOVES my sense of humor”.  Unfortunately, people who know us well might not agree with this “perfect version” of ourselves.  This phenomenon crosses over into business as well.  Companies often perceive their businesses as “very customer-centric” when in reality that is not very accurate.  Consider perceptions like:

• “We are ALWAYS working in the best interests of our customers”
• “Our customers LOVE our product/service”
• “Are we Customer Centric?  ABSOLUTELY – 100%.  “Customer First” drives all of our efforts”

Let’s talk about that last one – “Are we Customer Centric”?  This phrase  is now very prevalent, and frankly overused.  Because companies are often “Egocentric” they think they “check the box”.  But reality is harsh.  It turns out, many companies miss the mark – big time.  

The “CC Filter” Worked for Steve Jobs

Perhaps the most “customer focused” businessperson of our time was the late Steve Jobs.  While some colleagues described him as “insane”, there was no doubting his unwavering commitment to customers and customer experience.  In fact, he wanted customer experience to be “Insanely Great” (a phrase he used frequently).  Every single action Steve took and decision he made was rooted in “how does this make things better for our customers”.  I  like to call this the “Customer Centric Filter” (CC Filter).  Steve Jobs used it constantly!

This approach means that every action you take should be made with the customers interest in mind.  Each time you make a decision or modify a business practice, apply the CC Filter as your guide.  Some examples are listed below:

• “How does this change to our product design make it better for the customer”
• “What changes can we make to our call center to improve the experience for our customers?
• “Can we make our packaging more user friendly?”
• “Returns are a bad experience for customers.  How can we make that as easy as possible for them?

Start by applying the Customer Centric Filter to your most critical customer interactions, and eventually you will have transformed your company into one that makes customers the “Center of the Universe”.