To feel valued 35%
Canvass their opinion 18%
Feedback acted on 14%
Not taken for granted 20%
A sense of partnership 5%
Transparency 8%

Why customers leave

Price 21%
Customer service 34%
Convenience 10%
Requirement change 13%
Reliability/quality 18%
Other 4%

Alexander Dumas said, “Men have sight, women have insight” – the ability to discern the true nature of things.

Less controversially we are sure, through application, insight is available to men and women. Insight is gained in business through acute awareness of products and services, customers, the market, competitor activity and technological developments.

There is another essential dimension. Outsight – the sensitivity to know how we are seen by others.

There are two audiences in particular we must be in tune with. These are our customers and the people we rely on to deliver our promises to our customers.

Is it your experience that these “critical” audiences misunderstand you?

Longfellow tells us part of the reason when he said “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done”

Awareness of feedback from customers and employees is vital to developing a responsive business.

Are you giving customers what they want or what you think they want?
Because our perception is all we have to go on the later must be the case, but our perception may not be the ultimate truth.

We need to get frequent and relevant input from these two audiences to keep small the gap between our version of reality and theirs.

Unwise words
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Have you ever been fast to assess a situation only to regret sharing your rapid judgement with colleagues? Some consideration of other opinions would have served these people well.

This “telephone” has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. – Western Union internal memo, 1876

Airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value. – Marshal Foch, 1911

I think there may be a world market for maybe five computers. – Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

Who the hell wants to hear actors talk? – H.M. Warner of Warner Brothers, 1927