Dan Prince

Is your organization going through some kind of major change? If so, what are the ramifications for your CUSTOMERS?

This may be a moment when you need to intentionally add resources and attention to being sure your customers get through the change with you.

I got to thinking about this the other day when I visted my usual Harris Teeter grocery store to buy about a dozen items. The store is in transition – they are enlarging the existing store by about 20%. And the store is staying open while they move entire sections from one side to another. Some areas are not well lit, and some of the floors are unfinished (raw concrete). Now, I can handle all that. But here’s the rub: I couldn’t find a number of the items I wanted to buy!

There were NO SIGNS hanging above the aisles. Worse, there were no store employees posted around the store to help me. And check-out took longer than normal (not sure why).

The net result was that I spent less than I would have, I’m dissatisfied, and I’m not going back – at least until I’m absolutely CERTAIN that the place is completely finished. I may even switch to a competitor.

True, I’m just one customer. But how many others are having the same experience?

So, if your organization is doing a major remodeling, or just making a significant shift to other things that “touch” your customers – like your phone system, billing system, etc. THINK long and hard about what disruption may mean for your customers – and take steps to OVER serve those customers, if you want to keep them.