FEATURE17 January 2017

From your biggest disruptors to your closest ally

x Sponsored content on Research Live and in Impact magazine is editorially independent.
Find out more about advertising and sponsorship.

FMCG Features Healthcare Impact News UK

Good business is about building strong customer relationships, and Nina Kanin, from C Space, shares its mathematical formula for measuring this.

Chalkboard

At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, two thirds of CEOs agreed that customers are among the most disruptive forces that their business is facing. In part, this is for reasons we know: in the ‘age of the consumer’, people are better informed and much more demanding. But this disruption is also because of something we don’t understand – namely, our customers. 

Modern consumers are increasingly defying stereotypes. A connected and globalised world means they are seeing all the possibilities in life and feeling empowered to create their own unique identities, values and paths. 

Companies feel comfortable observing their customers, but don’t feel as comfortable engaging in challenging – and more meaningful – conversations. That is understandable; building genuine customer relationships requires a shift in the way many organisations do business. But relationships with those disruptors are key to growth. One sale is good, but a bond and loyalty that leads to a lifetime of sales, that’s long-term ...