19 May Needy customers? Why you need to satisfy a variety of customer needs
Do you have ‘needy’ clients and customers? (what a drag!) In a way, customer needs are great – you’d prefer them to need rather than not need you. But often, customers ‘act’ needy because either you’re not meeting their needs, or they don’t feel that you’re meeting their needs. Meeting a broad variety of customer needs is key to delivering an excellent customer experience.
And they have a lot of needs . . . . . . .
Objective needs (they need . . )
- a specific product or service
- a specific business or personal outcome (what that product or service will directly contribute to)
- broader business or personal goals (which the above is only one or one part of)
Emotional needs (they need to feel. . . )
- that they have made a good choice of provider
- that they can trust you
- that they are receiving good value for money
- in control (of the service and of costs)
- confident, relaxed and stress-free
- listened to, understood, respected and appreciated
Service needs (they need . . )
- clarity and transparency
- responsiveness, reliability
- flexibility
- demonstrated efficiency
- minimal time and hassle costs
(and sometimes) Relationship needs
- rapport
- deeper levels of trust
- personal support
Are you confident you are meeting all of these customer needs, for all of your customers?
It isn’t easy: you need the right skills, the right systems, a good culture and focused management. The key is to truly focus on how the client feels about your offering. How a customer feels about your offering will depend on both rational and emotional criteria. By focusing solely on the rational, you are probably ignoring the most important drivers of customer satisfaction. Getting into the emotional and personal space can be challenging for those that are technically-minded or lack confidence in relationship building, but the benefits are significant.
Do you have clear plans for how you can meet all of these needs?