What Can You Learn from the Customer-Centric Strategies of These Most Trustworthy Companies in the World?

When you look at Newsweek’s list of the world’s most trustworthy companies, you will find mentions of Whirlpool, Amazon, Costco, Coca-Cola, and Kroger.

What makes them tick?

The one thing that makes them tick is their maniacal focus on customers and the customer experience they provide.

I wanted to break down their customer experience and understand how other brands can learn and adapt their customer experience strategy.

Here is the attempt.

1. Understand and Anticipate Customer Needs

Use data and insights to anticipate customer needs and deliver tailored experiences.

• Amazon recommends products based on browsing and purchase history, leveraging AI-driven personalization. Would you believe that this recommendation engine drives 30% of their revenues?

• Kroger uses loyalty card data to personalize discounts and promotions on frequently purchased items.

Takeaway: Invest in customer analytics to understand preferences, behaviors, and patterns. Based on these, you can tailor your offerings.

Measure the customer lifetime value (CLV) to see how well you anticipate your customer’s needs and how often they come back to you for their purchases.

2. Consistent Quality and Reliability

Ensure that every customer interaction meets or exceeds expectations.

• Whirlpool designs appliances that are durable, easy to use, and backed by strong warranties.

• Coca-Cola maintains consistency in taste and quality, no matter where the product is consumed.

Takeaway: Create strict quality control processes and maintain consistency in products/services across all touchpoints.

Measure the customer satisfaction scores to understand how well you meet your expectations – not just from a service perspective but also from the expectation perspective.

3. Make Your Customer Interactions Easy

Remove friction in customer journeys and focus on ease of use.

• Costco offers a no-questions-asked return policy, ensuring a hassle-free experience.

• Amazon streamlined checkout with 1-click purchase, besides ensuring reliable delivery through Prime. Do you know that Apple licensed their 1-click purchase?

Takeaway: Map the customer journey, identify pain points, and remove those by simplifying processes to reduce customer effort.

Measure the customer effort score (CES) to understand how easy it is for your customers to interact with you.

4. Enable Self-Service

Help customers to help themselves while maintaining support channels.

• Kroger offers self-checkout options and mobile apps to track shopping lists and locate products.

• Amazon’s comprehensive help section and Alexa-enabled services provide instant assistance.

Takeaway: Implement self-service channels like FAQs, knowledge base, chatbots, and mobile apps to empower customers.

Measure the CSAT levels of each of these channels to understand their utility and improvise based on the feedback.

5. Proactive Resolutions

Address issues proactively even before customers complain.

• Whirlpool uses IoT in appliances to predict maintenance needs and notify customers proactively.

• Amazon refunds or resends items automatically when delivery issues occur, often before the customer reaches out.

Takeaway: Use technology to monitor and predict issues, offering solutions before they escalate.

Seek feedback from customers through surveys after every interaction to understand their needs and wants. Close the feedback loop by acting on them and communicating with them.

6. Connect Emotionally

Create moments of delight that create strong emotional bonds.

• Coca-Cola engages customers through personalized campaigns like “Share a Coke.” It also captivates audiences with campaigns like “Taste the Feeling” that emphasize joy and togetherness.

• Costco employees are encouraged to create personal connections, often remembering regular shoppers.

• Whirpool shares real-life impact stories from initiatives like providing washing machines to underprivileged communities.

Takeaway: Incorporate personalization into customer interactions and create campaigns to evoke positive emotions. Besides, use relatable storytelling to connect with your audience emotionally.

Measure customer retention rates and customer lifetime value to see how well creating moments of delight influences your business.

7. Empower Your Employees

Empower employees to make decisions in favor of the customers.

• Costco encourages its employees to resolve issues on the spot, leading to faster resolutions.

• Amazon trains its customer service representatives to prioritize customer satisfaction over rigid protocols.

Takeaway: Provide customer-facing employees with the right tools, authority, and autonomy to address customer issues immediately and effectively.

You can even provide a discretionary spending policy to act in favor of customer requests.

8. Engage and Sustain Community Initiatives

Align with values that resonate with customers.

• Whirlpool runs programs like “Care Counts,’ providing laundry access to underserved schools.

• Kroger commits to zero waste through initiatives like food donations.

Takeaway: Engage in community programs and sustainability efforts to build trust and loyalty.

9. Omnichannel Capabilities

Offer a consistent and connected experience across all customer touchpoints.

• Amazon integrates web, mobile, and voice channels seamlessly, allowing you to start a transaction on one platform and continue on another.

• Coca-Cola engages customers across retail, digital, and experiential platforms with consistent messaging.

Takeaway: Ensure that you get to have a single view of your customers across all interaction channels by integrating all of them.

Measure the customer effort score (CES) and customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores to see the efficacy of this initiative.

What sets these giants apart is not just their scale or resources but their commitment to customer-centricity. They have incorporated customer-centricity as a part of their DNA, which deeply resonates with their customers.

While I have mentioned takeaways for most things that these giants follow, you don’t have to do all of it. You can tailor these practices to your context.

You can start small and keep it authentic – provide experiences that your customers feel and make them a part of your journey.

After all, customer experience is the new product, and it is the only differentiator that can make or break a brand.