Customer Orientation Definition

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Brown et al. (2002) suggest that customer orientation, an individual‐level construct, is the key to a service organization's ability to be market oriented. Customer orientation has been defined as the degree to which contact personnel “practice the modern marketing concept by trying to help their customers make purchase decisions that will satisfy customer needs” (Saxe and Weitz, 1982). “Creating a customer experience that becomes synonymous with your brand is increasingly recognized as a vital driver of corporate performance.” (Smith and Wheeler, 2002, P.2) According to Kotler’s theory in order to indulge objectives of an organisation, the firm should research the needs and wants of consumers and then indulge these needs and wants in a better …show more content…

It is concentrated on relationship between the business and customers, but also includes its competitors and stakeholders within the business. Customer orientation involves a constant development and improvement in business process. The business is seen from the point of view of the final result, which is from the customer’s point of view. Customer orientation goes hand in hand with sales orientation as two extremes in dealing with customers. It is impossible for a salesperson to adopt both of them in serving a customer, as customer orientation requires a salesperson to behave in such way to achieve a long term customer satisfaction, possibly at the expense of immediate sales. Benefits of customer orientation can appear in a form of brand-loyalty. When a customer-orientated company is focused on wants and needs of their customers, such behaviour of the company develops customer satisfaction. Hence, the company is building long-term relationship with their customers, who therefore are willing to choose the same company’s products and services in the future. (based on Cronin and Taylor, 1994; Rust and Zahorik, …show more content…

Even though there is an existence of potential benefits of customer-orientated behaviour, there are also limitations of such phenomenon. Include Limitations. Customer orientation can be identified in one of the elements of marketing mix in Starbucks – product. The product and services Starbucks provides include real benefits for the customers. In every coffee shop of this brand, there is a variety of products such as coffee, tea, food and accessories. Customers get their unique cup of a beverage with their name on it, they also get suggested an opportunity to buy another product, as a part of a service. Baristas always ask their customers: “would you like anything else?” They are trained to say things customer want to hear, not what staff wants to say. Mission statement: “to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time. It has always been, and will always be, about

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