A new dimension for customers: Bill Self Customer 3D
About the author
With more than 25 years of customer research and business leadership experience, Bill Self has devoted his career to studying how topperforming companies separate themselves from their competition by being exceptionally customer-centered.
Today, he concentrates on helping companies learn how 
to transform their organizations into market leaders by focusing on the success of their customers.
For the sake of full disclosure: I got a review copy from the author.
As a gesture of appreciation I promised to share my thoughts with a wider audience.
The core
What is customer 3D about?
First consider it to be a strategy that leaders are following to outperform traditional business models.
It is also a system (a systematic approach) to transform product-centric organizations into customer-centric organizations. Product-centric also includes service organizations. Customer centric implies that customers are at the center of every activitiy, working from a customer-directed set of goals and a fully understood customer strategy. Customer centric implies that an organization puts the customers’ best interest first.
An organization that is 3D-customer centric communicates with customers pro-actively not reactively.
The essence of an organization that is customer-centered is its willingness to thing like its customers. When companies focus on customer solutions, their range of vision opens up and they begin looking for opportunities that were all along, but were unnoticed.
The Customer 3D system links all of the component parts of an organization around a primary purpose: customer success.
It is also a movement that will strengthen the way companies connect with their customers. It is often stated that there will be more changes in the forthcoming decade than there have been in the previous decades. As leaders need to gather and apply information that will help their organizations to adapt and thrive. No one can assume that the success of the past will continue in the near future. Fostering an environment in which customers and organizations can co-evolve and truly co-exist can boost the performance. That’s why communities (and being part of them) and leadership in industry associations is that important. To operate effectively, one must operate outside the four walls of your business.
My appreciation 4,0 on a scale from 0-5.
It is my true belief that the best professionals have that magical gift for finding creative solutions to problems one did not realize they existed. In a professional and personal way Bill taught me how to catch these insights and turn in into a true solution-creating process.
And the results?
A better future for your customers, your organization and yourself.
The author refers to Harvard professor Ted Levitt. He defined the process for developing new products and servcies more that 40 years ago. He made a distinction in four categories – generic -, – expected -, -augmented – and – potential -.
The insights in this book impacts your potential, reflecting on what is possible and what remains to be done
In the book there is a also reference to Edward de Bono‘s Six Thinking hats. This book is a magic hat for professionals, managers and entrepreneurs. After reading you will find inspiration for adapting your organization and functions.
To be honest, the book described tools that are already used by successful practicing professions. But the focus on the customer and adding elements like Levitt, de Bono, design thinking creates a fine example of a practical service design thinking approach.
The book is a personally crafted fusion of a inspired point of view and a framework – based on experience an current insights – for understanding how one can more effectively step to Customer 3D.
Posted on 2012/08/07, in Because i like to share again and again, Front Office and Customer Service Operations, Knowledge management, Performance management, Recovery and the way out of the crisis, recession and depression and tagged Because i like to share again and again, Bill Self, Bono, Business, Crowdsourcing, Customer, Customer Management, Customer service, Design thinking, Front Office and Customer Service Operations, Knowledge management, Performance management, Organization, Recovery and the way out of the crisis, recession and depression, Vision, visionaries, vision things, trends. Bookmark the permalink. Comments Off.
