Executive Perspective: 3 Keys for Successful Customer Relationships
In more than two decades at Panasonic, I’ve seen a lot of change – but deep customer engagement has always been a priority to us. Our commitment to serving as a trusted advisor for our customers drives us to listen to our customers and dig deep into any challenges they’re facing. By proactively and regularly soliciting customer feedback, we can address their needs not only through our support services, but also by tailoring solutions to fit their needs. This has helped us develop a suite of leading rugged devices that our customers rely on to help solve tough challenges every day – all created and customized with the voice of customer in mind.
After many visits with customers, I’ve found that three main factors are key to building strong customer relationships and setting them up for operational success.
Build Trust as a Partner
When you receive your brand-new TOUGHBOOK, that doesn’t mean you’ve seen the last of us. We aim to become more embedded in the technical operations of our clients so we can support them more comprehensively. As part of this practice, we regularly visit customers in person to discuss their experiences and get crucial answers to questions like:
- How are you using your mobile technology? Is it different from what you expected?
- Are you experiencing any challenges that might be solved by using a different application?
- Is your current mobile device a good fit? What requirements may change for you down the road?
- Do you have any device failures that may occur due to insufficient end user training?
These discussions are instrumental in learning about each organization’s future needs, being able to provide thoughtful advice and reducing any future frustrations. Not to mention, as many customers are experiencing the digital transformation of their industries, these collaborative discussions give us the opportunity to advise customers on how they can reduce downtime and enhance worker productivity using advanced technology like GPS, barcode functionality and reliable wireless connectivity.
Honesty and Transparency
Part of being a technical advisor for our clients means providing unmatched support 24/7 – and especially when the unexpected happens. While our devices are purpose-built to be reliable in the most demanding and unpredictable environments, our mobility engineering team sometimes faces unexpected obstacles that give us the opportunity to improve our products and enhance our role as technology advisors. For example, following unexpected safety concerns, we recently issued a recall for the TOUGHPAD FZ-G1 tablet battery pack. We knew it was our responsibility to proactively alert our customers and support them through every step of the return and replacement process. Following the recall, customers appreciated our proactive communications and attention to safety.
A Highly Qualified Team of Experts
During these field visits, our team also provides insight from experience with other organizations so customers can make informed technical decisions. Recently, our discussions have focused on upgrading operating systems to Windows 10 and adopting Android mobile devices within enterprises. During these meetings, our team relies on their vast industry experience to share what companies can expect during these upgrades and how they can manage operations. We also listen and learn about how customers’ organizations work and demonstrate how tools like our Rapid Application Development services can provide the custom configuration they need to assist these transitions.
I am proud to lead a team so passionate about customer success. However, this is not the only factor that qualifies them to be technical consultants. Our team boasts:
- 40 advanced degrees from multiple engineering disciplines
- 28 industry memberships from organizations such as IEEE, CompTIA, PMI, Cisco, Microsoft and ITIL
- 84 certifications ranging from Microsoft, Cisco, project management, ISO 9001 to CAD
- A combined 515 years of experience in public safety, federal government, utilities, transportation, logistics and manufacturing
Regardless of the type of technical help you need, the Panasonic mobility engineering team has your back and is just a phone call away. We’re not only deeply invested in this process, we’re deeply invested in your success so we can help improve your business operations together.
To learn more, visit our services website.
