Customer Centricity
CGAP defines Customer Centricity in inclusive finance as a business model that integrates the entire ecosystem of customers, employees, suppliers (including partners), shareholders and communities that an organisation serves. Customers are at the heart of business strategy, decision making, organisation design and operations.
A customer-centred approach creates value for customers by meeting their needs and wishes with tailored products and services. The customer-centred approach thereby applies good practices in social performance management as formalised by the Social Performance Task Force.
Customer-centred organisations gain a competitive advantage over others by remaining agile in providing solutions to their customers' changing needs. In return, customers remain loyal, actively use its products and services, and provide useful feedback to the organisation, keeping it in tune with its market.
To start, test your organisation's level of maturity in customer centricity.
The results will guide you on what actions to take to move your strategy, culture, structure and operations towards a customer-centric business model.
Adopting a customer-centric approach to developing inclusive financial products and services involves several steps. The following resources can be used by your organisation at each step:
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Here you will find additional tools for assessing your organisation in terms of customer centricity. Use them with your staff to raise their awareness of the approach.
Follow the guide on customer segmentation to identify the needs of your existing customers and to carry out customer-centric market research. The Customer Journey Map can be used to better understand your customers’ experience with your products and services and to adapt them accordingly.
Once the needs have been identified, follow the guide and use the customer experience tools to design and deliver appropriate products and services.
Before deploying your products and services on a large scale, evaluate them after an initial pilot phase by asking your customers about their satisfaction and experience with the proposed tools.
To go further in adopting a customer-centric approach in your organisation, you can find additional resources here:
- Managing change in your organisation when adopting a customer-centric approach
- Inspire, empower and enable your agents and employees to implement a customer-centric approach internally