The Importance Of Becoming A Customer Advocate

By Bill Pollock, president and principal consulting analyst, Strategies For Growth, www.pollockonservice.com

Improving your customer relationships is up to you.

Someone once asked the American bank robber, Willie Sutton, why he robbed banks. He responded simply — and logically — by saying, “Because that’s where all the money is!” That’s why we say, “Go directly to the customer” — because that’s where all the customer information is!

We define customer advocacy as “knowing what it takes — and everything it will take — to understand what your customers want, what they need, and what they expect from you and your services organization — before actually offering it to them.” In order to do this, however, you will need to look well beyond the tools, training, and materials you get from your organization — you will need to look directly to your customers.