The customer simply doesn't care what happens behind the scenes, who is responsible for what, or why things aren't working properly. Departmental boundaries and coordination problems are irrelevant to them. They couldn't care less which department a solution comes from. The important thing is that it works. Therefore, a completely interdisciplinary, synchronized, and customer-centric work organization that serves the customer's interests is essential today.

Customer first can only succeed where the customer is truly at the center, for example, in the organizational chart. In most organizational charts, however, the customer doesn't even appear – and neither do the employees. Instead, the management team is solely preoccupied with itself. The boss sits alone at the top, with his followers below, confined to boxes and organized in silos. Isn't that just a picture? A picture is worth a thousand words.

Functional silos are organizational anomalies.

A customer journey, the customer's buying journey, always cuts across the entire company landscape. Siloed structures don't fit in. They represent compartmentalization and isolation. They cause systemic disruptions, preventing things from flowing smoothly. And they create a mammoth bureaucracy that practically stifles value creation. Internal competition, uncoordinated planning processes, and poorly designed incentive programs exacerbate this effect.

It's been said for years that silo structures are outdated and no longer work. Yet (almost) no one is consistently dismantling their own silos. Instead, there's constant complaining: "Those nerds" in development don't understand the customers. "Those idiots" in marketing can only create pretty pictures. "Those losers" in sales are ruining our leads. "Those zeros" in service are such incompetents that customers immediately flee.

Meanwhile, the company is in a bind because the sales department, under pressure to meet quarterly targets, is making unrealistic promises. Products that are no longer available are still listed on the website. Engineers who think they're better than everyone else don't even listen to the desperate customer service representatives when they return to the office with customers' pleas for help. And the customer care center agents are practically overwhelmed by the sheer volume of complaints.

A "them-there" culture is downright toxic.

And what happens if another department messes up? That gets tricky! It's best not to interfere in other departments' areas of responsibility. To the customer, it sounds something like this: "Sorry, that's our policy." Or: "I'm sorry, my hands are tied because that's not my responsibility." Or even: "That department often has problems." The customer couldn't care less about any of this, but you force them to deal with it.

Instead of addressing the root causes and acting together in the customer's best interest, more of the wrong things are done: more rules are enacted, even more procedures are standardized. Meetings are constantly held within departments, and people complain. Because, of course, it's always someone else's fault. Conflicting responsibilities, isolated solutions, and fragmented tasks are perfectly normal in siloed organizations. Misunderstandings, knowledge loss, and an insane amount of coordination are commonplace. Because nobody can be left out.

Internally, there's constant waiting for others to finish their work. Some tasks are duplicated, others aren't done at all. Some things pile up indefinitely, and most are delivered in varying quality. All this hassle leads to tension, frustration, and resignation. Nobody puts in much effort, least of all for "those people." Working in a siloed, task-oriented manner, these silo dwellers do what needs to be done—nothing less, but certainly nothing more. And that's precisely what the customer responds to by fleeing.

Process before customer? Or rather the other way around?

Silo-based structures and outdated processes are the biggest obstacle to a happy customer. Cross-functional, synchronized collaboration is essential. And "customer first" becomes mandatory. That's perfectly normal, right? Wrong!

>> Company-first companies They operate in the same old self-centered way: "What do we offer the market and the customers, when, where, and how, so that we can become even more successful?" Driven by processes and efficiency, customers are expected to conform to the procedures pre-designed by the providers, accept cumbersome formalities, converse with slow-witted chatbots, and operate to the beat of their outdated software. In other words: The clientele is supposed to work hard so that the companies themselves don't have so much work to do.

>> Customer-first company These are the companies of the future, where the questions are: "What does the customer want and need? How can we actively involve them and help them improve their quality of life and/or increase their professional/business success?" True customer-centricity is only achieved by shifting all potential frustrations from the customer to the provider, leaving only positive experiences for the customer. Because if customers stop coming and buying, the company will soon cease to exist.

According to a study by Capgemini, 80 percent of all managers believe they are doing very well in terms of customer centricity, but only 15 percent of customers agree. Excellent companies deliver the best experience at all touchpoints throughout the entire customer journey. This can only truly succeed if a Customer Touchpoint Manager, operating independently of any specific department, receives the full support of a completely customer-centric management team. The next training program on this topic will take place from September 7th to 9th, 2023 in Munich.

You can find more information here: https://www.anneschueller.de/ausbildung-touchpoint-manager.html

About the author

Anne M. Schüller is a management thinker, keynote speaker, multiple award-winning bestselling author, and business coach. The graduate in business administration is considered a leading expert in touchpoint management and customer-centric corporate management. She delivers keynote speeches on these topics at conferences, congresses, and online events. In 2015, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the German Speakers Association for her lifetime achievements. She was named a Top Voice by the business network LinkedIn in 2017 and 2018. Xing recognized her as a Top Writer in 2018 and a Top Mind in 2020. Her Touchpoint Institute trains certified touchpoint managers and certified Orbit organizational developers. www.anneschueller.de

More on this topic in the author's new book

Anne M. Schüller: Make way for tomorrow's shapers

Gabal Verlag 2022, 216 S., 24,90 €, ISBN 978-3967390933

This book presents 25 quickly implementable initiatives and well over 100 action examples for becoming a high-flyer in the economy. Concise and highly entertaining, it illustrates the key approaches in three areas for anyone who wants to help shape a better future: how to empower people, improve collaboration, and increase innovation within the company.