Beyond Customer Centric

Hi,

Over the last 100 years, or so, business strategy has evolved. Without trying to be thorough, the progression has gone something like this:

SKILLED

Artisans and crafts people developed specialized skills that brought customers to their door.

DISTRIBUTION

Middlemen and merchants created markets that attracted customers to central places.

MASS PRODUCTION

Interchangeable parts allowed formerly custom-made goods to be mass produced at lower costs.

TECHNOLOGY

The automation of mass production that rapidly drove costs down making products affordable to even more consumers 

CUSTOMER-CENTRIC

Understanding and serving the customer’s needs as the way to gain competitive advantage.

Most readers will recognize we are currently in a customer-centric period (with a strong dose of technology mixed in) where it’s pretty common to hear companies talking about “The customer is always right,” “Customer focus,” and “Client service.”

Séva is developing an innovative new business strategy called Transformational Client Experience or TCE. Transformational Client Experience argues for a fundamental shift in the way brands serve clients as a means of competitive advantage. In the past, once a company had acquired skills, distribution, mass production, and technology—they realized they needed to become customer-centric because all their competitors had pretty much the same skills, distribution, mass production, etc. Only those brands who got to know their customers were able to thrive, since simply producing low-cost products wasn’t enough—those products had to actually satisfy customers’ real needs and wants. (For example, it’s often argued that losing customer focus is what brought Detroit and the American auto industry to near disaster.)

We believe TCE represents the next significant shift and that it will raise the bar and redefine client service. If you would like to learn more about TCE, and the difference it can make for your salon or spa, please contact me. We’d love to share more of our insight and listen to your story.

Jim Lucas

Séva Education

(925) 980-7871

gojimlucas@sevastyle.com 

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