The Link between Parenting and Customer Integration
Posted by Nathan Cowan on June 14, 2011
Shortly after my wife and I married, we began to discuss having a family. Over the course of the next few years we spent considerable time laying out the foundational components of our parenting style. How we would discipline, the amount of TV time we would allow, how fruits and vegetables would be a key part of every meal, how we would potty train. Collectively we had created our parenting model – something that met with our core values and what worked best for both of us.
Fast forward six years and another child later and our vaunted model is a shell of its original form. Vegetables are nowhere in sight (because they often have to be hidden in the meal itself); one child responds to discipline while the other could not give a rip; the TV comes on slightly more than either of us would care to admit; and potty training…well, let’s just say that did not go according to plan either.
The question is why did a well thought out plan have to be altered so considerably? The simple answer is because each child is unique – their needs, their motivations, their response mechanisms vary greatly – and a model that works for one can fail miserably for another.
The same is true when dealing with your customers. Granted, children reduce the revenue stream while ideally customers add to it, but the fact you have to figure out how best to deal with each customer and their unique business models, processes, requirements and way of doing business is no different than dealing with diverse children.
In fact, I was thinking back to our “master parenting plan” recently as I listened to a prospect talk about the challenges they have integrating with many of their customers. The company had developed an integration model that was perfect for them. And, much like me and my “model,” they were shocked when not all of their customers wanted to adopt a standard approach.
Some customers wanted to simply send an electronic Purchase Order and were happy to use asynchronous methods to do so. Others wanted to leverage core messaging capabilities of their ERP and/or spend management applications to gain greater visibility into their supply chain. And still others wanted to adopt real-time messaging capabilities with complex business rules that extended the value of the relationship they have with their supplier community.
As a supplier, the imperative is on you to deliver a buying relationship that feels unique to each customer. Without this, the hard won differences in service, price, and quality can quickly be eroded. Meeting the needs of the customer is all about having a set of important core values while allowing for flexibility where possible.
As a business, that means driving to as much agility, interoperability and automation as possible with your customer-facing business processes. This will not only make your business more efficient, it provides greater visibility of your demand chain and reduces operational expenses. Determine what is needed for you to most efficiently operate your demand chain, and then leverage technology and service providers to ensure you can meet your varied customer needs. Some solution areas that can help include business process management, service oriented architecture, data management, and B2B integration.
Like a parent, your job is to ensure that your customers are happy (or at least that’s what my children have told me is my primary job) and lay the foundation for a positive relationship for years to come. To your customer, providing seamless integration with your online catalog might be as vital to your success as finely chopped veggies in a kid’s meatloaf.
Tags: business process management, customer integration, electronic Purchase Order, eProcurement, ERP, Spend Management Applications
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