Want to Win Customers? Think Like a Consumer

May 7, 2019

By: Thomas Donato, Rockwell Automation

We all are consumers. We all have expectations of quality and service.

When I talk to our customers, I do so with that experience and mindset. If we don’t deliver – we lose. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. It’s as simple as that.

I just lived through a great example of this. Every morning I use our blender. One of the parts broke, and the manufacturer made it quite difficult and cumbersome to get a replacement.

Ironically – and frustratingly – I received a questionnaire about the service before I received my new part, which landed three towns away and came weeks after I bought a new blender from a different manufacturer.

Not only was the maker non-responsive, but the process was not transparent.

They did not think like a customer, and because of that, they lost one. I will not buy from that company again.

 

2018 Corporate Responsibility Report: How we help customers achieve sustainability goals.

Emotion Behind Decisions

When you are talking to customers, you need to think like one.

That might sound easy… but is it something you practice? 

I’m sure the maker of that blender had good intentions in sending me a survey about my experience, except they didn’t realize the problem wasn’t solved. That’s an enormous disconnect made more prominent by the lack of connected systems that would tell the company I was not in a place to do a survey – yet.

Let me take you in the completely opposite direction. My wife’s activity tracker wasn’t working. She sent an email to the company and got an immediate response with several options (including getting a new tracker), and then another email following up on the experience and offering additional support.

We would buy from the company again.

These two completely different experiences proved to me what differentiates a company:

  • Support and how easy it is to get a resolution to a problem
  • Service beyond the obvious obligation
  • Understanding what customers require (and translating how technology helps them achieve outcomes)
Blog: The Extra Mile: How Our People Make a Difference.

Digital Transformation Provides Seamless Experience

Addressing the issue with the fitness tracker was a seamless experience – from identifying the problem to identifying resolutions. The maker understood what consumers wanted to do with their product. Any interruption in that experience was too great.

Technology helps us provide a fast, clear solution, so why would we ever want to a customer to experience anything less?

Public Opinion Matters

Like many shoppers, before I purchased my replacement blender, I went online and dug deep into public opinion. What did other users think?

Those comments mattered and influenced my buying decision.  A consumer not currently buying from you will be more likely to look at you if others are speaking positively about you.

Most of us are risk-averse consumers, whether that is buying an activity tracker, a blender or an automation system.

I was meeting with customers in Brazil who were quite outspoken (a trait I appreciate as I want all the information I can get).

The theme of their comments: I want to work with your company because you respond. If there in an issue, you make it right. Our support, they said, made a difference.

I thought about those comments, about what I’ve learned over many years. The support this customer valued is not an initiative or a fiscal year priority; it’s part of our company’s culture.

You can have great products (the blender) but if you lack support, people will move on. And they won’t come back.

Making the Connection

In our company, we know that higher employee engagement scores directly correlate to increased customer satisfaction. Engaged employees create loyal customers.

We have made “customer” a core focus. We talk about customer experience at every level.  Our strategy is to bring The Connected Enterprise to life. The ways we do that all include customer – understanding their opportunities and simplifying their experience.

Our ability to do those things relies on our ability to create and sustain a company culture where everyone can do their best work, operating in a transparent environment that produces tangible results.

It’s not easy, but it is simple.

See the original post HERE

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • Andreas Sobotta to Assume Role of Vice President North and South America for Pilz Automation

    Andreas Sobotta to Assume Role of Vice President North and South America for Pilz Automation

    Pilz Automation Safety Canada L.P. announces that their long-term CEO and GM, Andreas Sobotta, will assume the role of Vice President North and South America, effective immediately. He will still work from the Canadian office in Mississauga and visit all other subsidiaries in North and South America. Pilz will take their time to find a… Read More…

  • SEW-Eurodrive: MAXOLUTION System Solutions

    SEW-Eurodrive: MAXOLUTION System Solutions

    Whether in production or logistics operations, MAXOLUTION is synonymous with innovation in factory automation – across all industries and worldwide – helping you achieve your vision of an adaptable and resilient lean smart factory. Under the MAXOLUTION brand, SEW-EURODRIVE creates customized solutions for cutting-edge materials handling technology – from the shop floor through to IT.… Read More…


Sponsored Content
The Easy Way to the Industrial IoT

The way to the Industrial IoT does not have to be complicated. Whether access to valuable data is required or new, data-driven services are to be generated, Weidmuller enables its customers to go from data to value the easy way. Weidmuller’s comprehensive and cutting-edge IIoT portfolio applies to greenfield and brownfield applications. Weidmuller offers components and solutions from data acquisition, data pre-processing, data communication and data analysis.

Visit Weidmuller’s Industrial IoT Portfolio.


ADVANCED Motion Controls Takes Servo Drives to New Heights (and Depths) with FlexPro Extended Environment Product Line

Advanced Motion Controls is proud to announce the addition of six new CANopen servo drives with Extended Environment capabilities to their FlexPro line. These new drives join AMC’s existing EtherCAT Extended Environment FlexPro drives, making the FlexPro line the go-to solution for motion control applications in harsh environments.

Many motion control applications take place in conditions that are less than ideal, such as extreme temperatures, high and low pressures, shocks and vibrations, and contamination. Electronics, including servo drives, can malfunction or sustain permanent damage in these conditions.

Read More


Service Wire Co. Announces New Titles for Key Executives

Bruce Kesler and Mark Gatewood have been given new titles and responsibilities for Service Wire Co.

Bruce Kesler has assumed the role of Senior Director – Business Development. Bruce will be responsible for Service Wire’s largest strategic accounts and our growing Strategic Accounts Team.

Mark Gatewood has been promoted to the role of Vice President – Sales & Marketing. In this role, Gatewood will lead the efforts of Service Wire Company’s entire sales and marketing organization in all market verticals.

Read More


Tri-Mach Announces the Purchase of an Additional 45,000 sq ft. Facility

Tri-Mach Elmira Facility

Recently, Tri-Mach Inc. was thrilled to announce the addition of a new 45,000 sq ft. facility. Located at 285 Union St., Elmira, ON, this facility expands Tri-Mach’s capabilities, allowing them to better serve the growing needs of their customers.

Positioning for growth, this additional facility will allow Tri-Mach to continue taking on large-scale projects, enhance product performance testing, and provide equipment storage for their customers. The building will also be the new home to their Skilled Trades Centre of Excellence.

Read More


JMP Parent Company, CONVERGIX Acquires AGR Automation, Expanding Global Reach

Convergix Automation Solutions has completed the acquisition of AGR Automation (“AGR”), a UK-based provider of custom, high-performance automation design and systems integration primarily to the life sciences industry.

Following Convergix’s acquisitions of JMP Solutions in August 2021 and Classic Design in February 2022, AGR marks the third investment in Crestview’s strategy to build Convergix into a diversified automation solutions provider targeting the global $500+ billion market, with a particular focus on the $70 billion global systems integration and connectivity segments. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Read More


Latest Articles

  • Making the Sustainable Transformation of the Process Industry a Success

    Making the Sustainable Transformation of the Process Industry a Success

    By Krystie Johnston and Dr. Manfred Jagiella – Sustainability facilitates opportunity when approached with a mindset to preserve resources and promote circularity. We share one Earth, and it is our global responsibility to care for it for the next generation. Endress+Hauser is one global company that understands this responsibility – and practices it as well.… Read More…

  • Why NOARK’s 12VDC Shunt Trip Coils for MCCBs Make Power Systems Reliable and Safer

    Why NOARK’s 12VDC Shunt Trip Coils for MCCBs Make Power Systems Reliable and Safer

    Circuit breakers are an essential component of any modern electrical system. Designed to protect your home or business from potential overloads or short circuits, these devices are your first line of defense against electrical fires. There are, however, situations where remote tripping of the circuit breaker may be required. It could be for operational reasons,… Read More…