A Foolproof Formula in Growing your Customer Relationships

In this interview, Ilan Bresler, Technical Operations Manager at TrueAccord, talks about the importance of managing and nurturing business relationships the right way.

To establish mutual success, the business value must be positioned the way customers view and perceive it. The purpose of business [partnership] is to provide or deliver value (to customers) and help them change their processes and the way they do business.

Customer Success, a driver and a facilitator of change 

In this ever-changing and evolving market needs, organizations need to facilitate an ongoing and meaningful conversation with their customers and ensure that they are not left on their own. Bresler pointed out, 'not all customers require heavy lifting and hand-holding support'; however, it must be given with a high priority if they require one. 

Sometimes, they expect organizations to stand with them until they have realized the full value of the solution they advocated. Today's customers expect frictionless experience and authenticity from the brand they engaged in. 

Since the business model is shifting to a more personal and human brand, Bresler suggests, "your focus and priority should be on the success of your customers. As a result, the success of your organization will come naturally."

What Do Customers Expect? 

If you were to sit down to evaluate your customer relationships, what would you like to learn from them? Was the value appropriately communicated, or what's missing in the success delivery? When organizations understand what's going on in their customer's domain and its business environment, it positions the business or organization as a trusted advisor. 

"The ability to manage partnerships in today's business climate is indispensable. Why? Because when a business fails to meet customer needs and expectations, customers will do business elsewhere". 

Good service has nothing to do with what the business believes or thinks is right; it has to do with what the customer believes". That's why an organization needs to be very careful in setting up the customer's expectations at the proper level. 

The key to the successful positioning of value and service is not to create expectations greater than your company's service can deliver and provide. Bresler suggested two things organizations must do (1) Capture the business objectives and success metrics onset of the relationship (2) Align or collaborate with other teams on how to achieve their customer's desired outcome.

Bresler points out, "if you don't know the "whys" of your customer's success, you can't build a strategic plan that would lead you there." 

Here are the other reason (see below) why relationships might fail despite a sound strategy is in place:

1) Product - the product does not deliver what it promised (to begin with).

2) Lack of unity, vision, or cohesion. Failure to incorporate the feedback from the customers and how it affects the customer's bottom line.

3) Ineffective and uncoordinated business processes - poorly monitoring client progress, broken process, or weak efforts.

4) Failure to communicate the actual value of the product or the platform's capability. 

Organizational alignment, the key to future growth and success 

Today's competitive markets are challenging, and it's no longer about price but the experience and the value associated with it. Not all customers want or deserve high service levels, but they are entitled to what they have been promised and told about.

Therefore, everyone (in the organization) must understand what success means (and what's not) and how Customer Success plays its part as a growth driver in the overall business objectives. 

Bresler points out, "the success in the partnership is about collaboration and how each other works in achieving that collective success." In today's environment, we need to measure our ability to deliver both value and positive experience. 

Operating in this kind of mindset, Bresler believes, 'it brings customers in alignment, and opens the door to creating valuable and trusted advisor relationships.' Furthermore, the quality of the relationship we (you) develop informs how well we (you) can identify and navigate opportunities in our (your) customer's organization. 

It has been said multiple times yet worth noting that putting your client's interests before your own; is foolproof of success in today's business. Hence, we need to help customers achieve their desired outcomes, which are appropriate for their business.