Whether you run a small family business or lead a Fortune 100 company, a single discontented employee can damage customer interaction.   Most companies recognize the importance of customer loyalty and many create an a value system that holds employees accountable for customer interaction. Without a concerted effort by everyone to maintain a customer-centric organization the effort fails. Maintaining customer focus means that all must buy into a change in attitude and culture. Leaders in small or large companies must balance business needs with executing business strategies that improve the customer experience in to create growth and sustain competitive advantage over others, and profitability.

In order to sustain a customer-centric business model, leaders must be willing to practice specific customer strategies and hold all members of the team to filling these goals.

The following are suggested tips to ensure sustainability:

1. Every company must have strong leadership and support. Leader must be consistent and visible proponents to ensure that all business decisions, expenditures and changes result in stronger customer retention. Employees need to understand the behaviors associated with what this type of culture looks like in the daily performance of jobs. In addition, employees should be recognized and measured for their contributions through performance reviews.
2. Employees must be able to identify with the prescribed behaviors and leaders must be able to define, articulate and gain universal acceptance throughout the organization to ensure consistency. Behaviors must be practiced from the top down, and those who exhibit the behaviors should be recognized and rewarded.
3. Behavior changes if incentives match the behavior you want repeated. Incentives can come in many shapes and forms as long as employees are rewarded. Some incentives may be financial; others may be a symbol or a personal note from the leader to the employee recognizing the specific accomplishment. This practice takes work and consistency but the benefit to the company in the long-run can’t be measured.
4. Review your on-boarding practices. Does every new employee understand expectations as it relates to customer-centric practices and behavior? Be able to share specifics behaviors and client successes.   Reinforce key goals and content and reward staff who exhibit these practices in a consistent manner.
5. While leaders must demonstrate consistency from the top, it’s the employees performing their jobs on a daily basis that really create success in customer-centric organizations.   Leaders must identify staff to help lead the organization and exemplify through actions what is expected.   Oftentimes, these staff members are given the responsibility to mentor others in order to integrate these practices into the daily functions of job responsibilities.
6. Hiring practices must evaluate not only skill but desire for supporting a customer-centric organization. Make certain that questions are geared toward evaluating whether the new candidate demonstrates understanding and has examples of behaviors leading to customer retention.
7. When possible, involve customers. Make sure that members of the team understand what customers appreciate. Whether you are a large or small company it is always important to “hear” the voice of your customer. Make the customer who is unhappy a case study for your team. Help them understand what they can do as individuals to change perception or turn a difficult customer situation in to a positive one. This practice leads to stronger employee commitment.

Customer service and even customer experience are only a small part of becoming customer centric. You need to engage every employee in the business of serving customers. Using these seven tips will help you create a powerful customer-centric culture, and drive more profitable business results.