Driving success with retailers begins by sharing survey results and customer feedback to everyone across a supplier’s organization. This is the first step in the road to more meaningful business-to-business relationships, as you need internal buy-in to instigate effective changes and create lasting improvements.
To kick off the first step, it’s important to recognize that customer feedback has to matter to everyone in your organization, from the board of directors to the individual contributor. Actioning feedback is not only the responsibility of those working directly with retailers today; it is up to every team member and leader to see the customer as the focal point of their workflow and decision-making process.
Making Customer Feedback Matter
Best-in-class suppliers across the globe share in their prioritization of their customers. Although the tactics they employ and the feedback they receive varies from company to company and relationship to relationship, top-performing suppliers follow similar patterns for actioning feedback and delivering success in their relationships:
1. They communicate what constitutes a healthy customer engagement culture and ensure that every individual understands the role they play in making this culture real
No one is left behind in their planning of a customer-focused strategy. Not only does every employee understand what has to be done, but they are also equipped with an understanding of why these measures are being taken.
2. They are intentional about cascading the feedback and results they receive throughout their organization
This means disseminating customer feedback throughout the hierarchy, from junior team members up to the c-suite. This requires that every function in the business (sales, supply chain, marketing, category insights, e-commerce, sustainability, human resources, and finance) is brought into the process of understanding and actioning feedback.
3. They recognize that customer engagement is a continuum, not an all-or-nothing concept
Knowing that there is no perfect solution equips individuals throughout the organization with the confidence and comfort to discuss the customer engagement culture with both their colleagues and their client partners. Embracing the reality of an evolving, ever-improving relationship makes room for questions and innovation.
4. They frequently measure the health of their customer engagement culture with a focus on trends rather than absolute values
Advantage Report has been proven to help our clients keep up to date on the health of both their B2B relationships and internal culture. The knowledge it provides empowers teams to understand the journey and ensure that it’s going in the right direction – and pivoting quickly if it isn’t.
5. They come together to discuss their Advantage Report customer feedback and ask the right questions
These questions include, but are not limited to:
- What’s good?
- What’s not?
- Why might that be?
- Where can we go from good to great?
- Where do we need to improve?
- Are there any immediate fixes required?
- Where are we with our customers today and where do we want to be tomorrow?
6. They embrace challenging feedback because it represents an opportunity for growth
Embracing challenges or disappointing feedback is easier said than done, but with a customer-focused culture, best-in-class suppliers are able to adapt and learn to meet the challenges.
As the first step in driving success in your customer relationships, sharing results internally is an opportunity to unify your people and processes around a strategy that places customer success at the very core of the how and why of your day-to-day work.
Related: 4 Steps to Driving Customer Success in Your Relationships
