Ron Hill

The term customer-focus often is used, but few among us really understand what it means. Are we saying that the primary concern of our firm is the needs and desires of the people we serve? If this is, in fact, true, how do we operationalize and measure their satisfaction? This talk takes a more holistic view of satisfaction that moves beyond merely meeting or even exceeding expectations, to include how our deliverables and products are integrated into the larger constellation of goods and services that advance (or detract from) customers’ personal and professional wellbeing.

Most businesses of any reasonable size or impact look for ways to advance communities in which they are embedded. However, a number of vexing issues arise that concern who we are seeking to reach with these efforts, what is the hoped-for impact over time, and how we can organize our efforts accordingly. To be successful, such energy needs to be reflective of and consonant with our culture, markets, and owners. In this talk, we discuss how to integrate corporate social responsibility into the very fabric of the firm so that doing business and doing good are seamlessly aligned and serving the same goals.

I once had a senior marketing executive for a major credit card holder tell me that he knew more about me than my therapist did. My need for counseling notwithstanding, it does say something about how larger, data-driven firms view the diverse sources and forms of customer information they use to make decisions. However, do they know me, or do they just recognize that people like me may behave similarly over time. If the former is the case, then they must fully comprehend the internal and external motivations, as well as the rationales behind buyer motivations, rather than simply triggers for buying. This talk explores where “big data” seems to get it right, along with gaps in our understanding that suggest we may not know everything we really need to know.