Customer Focus - Competency

Q: Q_2

Customer Satisfaction: Focuses on the needs of the customer doing whatever it takes to meet the customer's needs. Maintaining Relationships: It is important to build and maintain strong customer relationships that have good rapport. Understanding the Customer: It is important to identify the core needs of the customer and to ensure those needs are understood by other team members. Anticipate and Address Customer Needs: It is important to be proactive in anticipating and addressing the needs of customers. Expectations: A focus on customers helps you to meet or exceed their expectations.

Definition: Prioritizing the customer's needs, expectations interactions above all else. Understanding and addressing customer needs, providing excellent service. Consistently delivering value to customers. A customer-focused approach involves fostering a company culture dedicated to enhancing customer satisfaction and building strong customer relationships.

People Skills

Interpersonal Skills
Collaboration
Trustworthy
Responsible
Client Focus
Customer Focus
Empowering Others
Developing Others
Co-worker Development
Coaching
Partnering/Networking
Conflict Management
Negotiation
Teamwork
Recognition
Others

What is Customer Focus?
Why is Customer Focus important in the workplace?
What are key aspects of Customer Focus?
Questions to Include on the Survey

360-Feedback Questionnaires Measuring Customer Focus:
Survey 1 (4-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 2 (4-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 3 (5-point scale; Competency Comments)
Survey 4 (5-point scale; radio buttons)
Survey 5 (4-point scale; words)
Survey 6 (4-point scale; words)
Survey 7 (5-point scale; competency comments; N/A)
Survey 8 (3-point scale; Agree/Disagree words; N/A)
Survey 9 (3-point scale; Strength/Development; N/A)
Survey 10 (Comment boxes only)
Survey 11 (Single rating per competency)
Survey 12 (Slide-bar scale)

Performance Assessments that include Customer Focus:
Assessment 1 (5-point scale; IDP Comments)
Assessment 2 (3-point scale with Comments)
Assessment 3 (Manager Assessment; 360-Feedback)
Assessment 4 (3-point scale; Rating Limits)
Assessment 5 (3-point scale; Rating Limits)
Assessment 6 (5-point scale with Comments)
Assessment 7 (Comment Boxes Only; IDP)
Assessment 8 (Comment Boxes Only)
Assessment 9 (3-point scale with Letter Grade)
Assessment 10 (360-Feedback; Bonus/Merit Pay)
Assessment 11 (Core Values & Job Competencies)
Assessment 12 (4-point scale; 6 Comment Boxes)

What is Customer Focus?

Customer Focus involves prioritizing the customer's needs, expectations interactions above all else. Understanding and addressing customer needs, providing excellent service. Consistently delivering value to customers. A customer-focused approach involves fostering a company culture dedicated to enhancing customer satisfaction and building strong customer relationships.

Why is Customer Focus important in the workplace?

Customer Satisfaction: Focuses on the needs of the customer doing whatever it takes to meet the customer's needs.
Maintaining Relationships: It is important to build and maintain strong customer relationships that have good rapport.
Understanding the Customer: It is important to identify the core needs of the customer and to ensure those needs are understood by other team members.
Anticipate and Address Customer Needs: It is important to be proactive in anticipating and addressing the needs of customers.
Expectations: A focus on customers helps you to meet or exceed their expectations.

What are key aspects of Customer Focus?

Satisfying the Customer
Developing Relationships
Understanding Customer Needs
Anticipating Customer Needs
Understanding and Meeting Expectations
Action Oriented
Helpful
Responsive
Gives and Receives Feedback
Innovative

What questions could be included on a 360-degree survey that measure customer focus?

When creating a questionnaire to measure customer focus, be sure to include items that measure work done to satisfy customers and develop strong relationships; understand and anticipate customer needs. The questionnaire items on this page will measure these aspects of customer focus. These questions are grouped into different facets of customer focus. When creating a 360-degree or other performance assessment, try to select one or two items from each group.

Questions to Include on the Survey

Satisfies Customer

Considers customers point of view when making decisions.
Has received few complaints from customers.
Focuses the team on meeting customers' requirements
Actively works to ensure that the customer has a satisfying shopping experience and leaves the store with the desire to return.
Does whatever it takes to make sure the customers' needs are fully met.
Focuses on needs of customers.
Stays focused by seeing all aspects of the store through the customers' eyes.
Satisfies customers' needs by offering product knowledge and alternative products to meet needs.

Customer Relationships

Maintains positive customer relationships.
Develops strong customer relationships.
Develops good rapport and trust with the customer.
Maintains strong relationships with customers.
Meets with customers on a regular basis.
Builds long term relationships with customers.
Sets an example for excellent customer relations.
Our team's current activities reflect a strong focus on the customer
Spends time with customers to define their expectations and where improvements can be made
Has a positive rapport with customers.
Forms strong customer relationships
Form strong customer relationships

Understands Customer Needs

Understands the needs of the customer.
Makes sure team members understand the issues faced by the customer.
Adapts to changing customer needs.
Thoroughly understands the needs of the customer.
Makes sure customer needs are understood by the team members.
Understands what resources are needed to meet customer needs.
Identifies the core needs of the customer.
Is aware of the customer's needs.
Identifies the most pressing needs of each customer.
Maintains up-to-date information regarding customer products.
Understand customer needs

Anticipates Customer Needs

Anticipates problems that the customer may encounter.
Anticipates customer needs.
Anticipates resources needed to meet the customer needs.
Anticipates potential obstacles to meeting customer needs.
Anticipates and proactively resolves issues that the customer may face.

Addresses Customer Needs

Satisfies customer needs.
Is pro-active in dealing with customers and addressing their needs.
Is above average in addressing the needs of the customers.
Persistent in solving customer issues.
Prioritizes customer issues to tackle the most pressing needs first.
Prioritizes customer issues based on urgency.
Helps others in responding to customer needs.
Prioritizes the needs and preferences of the customer.
Consistently meets customer's needs.

Expectations

Consistently exceeds customer expectations.
Accepts responsibility for ensuring customer satisfaction.
Exceeds expectations of the customers.
Is aware of expectations from customers.
Creates documents that meet the customer's specifications.
Is aware of what the customer wants to receive.
Ensures customers' expectations are met or exceeded.
Makes the extra effort to exceed customer expectations.

Action Oriented

Does not hesitate to address customer concerns or complaints.
Provides prompt service to customers.
Responds quickly to customer problems and needs.
Works extra if needed to assist a customer.
Turns customer needs into actions and results.
Acts in an empowered way to handle customer service issues.
Seeks opportunities to do things that have a positive impact on customers before being asked or forced by circumstances
Has a sense of urgency regarding customer communication and satisfying customer needs.
Follows up to ensure customer needs are met
Solves customer problems in a quick and efficient manner.

Helpful Attitude

...friendliness and courtesy
Expresses courteous attitude with customers.
Is not condescending toward customers.
Works with customers to meet their needs.
Understands the importance of addressing customer concerns.
Is willing to answer questions from customers.
...friendliness and courtesy of our customer service representatives/tellers

Responsive

Responds to the needs of the customer.
Provides a responsive service that meets the needs of customers.
Adapts to changes proposed by the customer.
Attends to the customer's needs in addition to the specific needs of the project.
Addresses customer complaints immediately.
Takes the initiative in solving difficult customer issues.
Promptly responds to customers.
Follows up with any unanswered questions from the customer.
Is available to respond to customer needs.
Responsive to customer needs.

Committed to Customer

Ensures all customer commitments and requirements are met or exceeded.
Makes sure their interests are aligned with the customer's interests.
Makes customer's needs a top priority.
Is committed to the customer's success.
Fulfills commitments made to customers.
Views customer satisfaction as an everyday priority.
Is committed to the success of the customer.
Puts customer's needs first.
Delivers on commitments made to customers.
Is committed to resolving customer issues in a positive way.
Ensures commitments made to customers are completed to the customer's satisfaction.
Ensures customer commitments are met with quality products and services.
Ensures all customer commitments & requirements are met or exceeded.
Ensures that customer service standards are maintained while completing sales support tasks by greeting, assisting, and thanking each customer.

Feedback

Gives feedback to the customer regularly.
Regularly receives positive feedback from customers.
Uses feedback from the customer to help improve the customer's experience.
Obtains feedback to ensure customer needs are being met.
Has received good feedback from customers.
Gets feedback from the customer on a weekly basis.
Responds to feedback from customers.

Innovative

Creates innovative solutions to meet customer needs.
Creates new and innovative products for customers.
Creates innovative solutions for the customers.
Tailors innovative products for each customer.

Solutions

Tailors solutions to meet the specific needs of each customer.
Delivers customized solutions for each customer.
Builds products that meet the unique needs of each customer.
Helps customers feel they are receiving services tailored specifically to their needs.
Creates customized solutions for the customer.

Competent

Creates high quality products for the customers.
Is competent in handling customer cases.
Is competent in handling difficult customers.
Manages customer accounts with high degree of competence.
Effectively troubleshoots customer issues.
Competent in managing customer projects.
Delivers high quality products to the customer.

Role Model

Consistently models positive customer service attitudes.
Ensures that the customer's needs receive primary focus.
Generates customer-focused solutions that add value to the business.
Communicates to associates that visual presentation of the store should reflect the customer's point of view and what they would like.
Displays behaviors that support a broad definition of customer.
Is effective in satisfying customer needs.

Positive Interactions

Builds trust with the customer.
Acts with integrity in all customer interactions.
Treats customers with courtesy and respect.
Looks for opportunities that have a positive impact on customers.
Promotes, implements, maintains and enhances relationships with customers.
Engages with customers on multiple levels.
Focuses on maintaining good relationships with customers.
Exhibits a positive attitude even when dealing with difficult customers.
Able to handle difficult customers.

Customer Service

Helps customers to feel satisfied with our work/services.
Provides a high level of service to customers.
Is consistent in services provided to customers.
Ensures customers are comfortable with the services provided.
Provides excellent service to customers.
Creates an environment that enables customers to receive excellent service.
Focuses on providing excellent customer service.

Problem Solving

Responds to customer objectives and needs.
Evaluates both operating and customer requirements when solving a problem.
Seeks to understand what the customer wants or needs.
Adjusts priorities to respond to changing customer needs.
Responds to customer needs, questions, and concerns in an accurately timely manner.
Finds ways to measure and track customer satisfaction.

Communication

Asks questions and listens carefully to determine customer needs and to ensure that the customer's needs are met.
Keeps the customer informed of all progress.
Actively listens to concerns from customers.
Documents customer interactions.
Is honest in all communication with the customers.
Transparent in all communications with the customer.
Interacts with customers to define roles, expectations, and responsibilities.
Has excellent communication with customers.
Maintains communication with customers.
Listens to and fully understands the customers needs.
Communicates regularly with customers to get feedback and performance information.

Continuous Improvement

Identifies opportunities that will enhance the customer's experience.
Uses feedback from customers to help improve services.
Uses customer feedback to help improve products and services.
Is focused on improving customer services.
Provides training to others on how to improve customer service.