Quick Viz - Customer Strategy
Diagnostics of the 5 environments critical to a successful
Customer Strategy
March 2003
Arestan Consulting
108 rue Damrémont
75018 Paris
[email protected]
In spite of significant efforts destined to reinforce the customer ’s
place in corporations, the results are often below expectations
 It is now a known fact that a company cannot create any value if it does not
place its customers at the center of its attention
— In a win-win relationship, a company will share in the value it creates for its
customers
 As a result, companies have spent significant amounts of money on the
improvement and reorganization of customer interaction functions and
processes
— Information systems to improve and manage customer relationships
— Matrix organizations and key account management to better serve clients
— Analysis tools to better evaluate the value generated by each client
 Unfortunately, the reality is not always in line with the theory
— A significant portion of the projects never generate the expected results
— Many even derail what existed without resolving the problems
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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A corporation will not succeed in its Customer Strategy unless it
masters the 5 critical environments
Coherence of the Customer Strategy
Back Office Operations
Customer Contact Strategy
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
Customer Information Systems
Customer Value Proposition
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Environment 1
Coherence of the Customer Strategy
 Do all interested parties know and agree on the differentiating characteristics of
clients? Does everybody understand the same things when we speak of value
generated by a customer? Does everybody agree that strategies vary according
to customer segments? And finally, do we follow the results of these strategies
and do we adapt them if they are not satisfactory?
Coherence of the Customer Strategy
Understanding
customer segments
Existence of strategies
adapted to each
segment
Follow-up on and
adaptation of
strategies
Agreement on the
notion of value
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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Environment 2
Customer Information Systems
 Are the contents and the frequency of data collection in line with our business?
Is the data reliable? Are the data extraction and modeling systems designed to
generate useful (strategic) information?
Customer Information Systems
Collection and
relevance of data
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
Extraction and modeling
of date
(Strategic Information)
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Environment 3
Customer Value Proposition
 Do the offers correspond to customer needs? Is our offer strategy compatible
with our objectives for each segment? Do we have offer creation processes that
combine creativity, analytical rigor and the « voice of the customer »?
Customer Value Proposition
Consideration of
customer needs
Offer development
processes
Consideration of
segments ’ objectives
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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Environment 4
Customer Contact Strategy
 Do we manage our contact channels (direct/indirect salesforce, telemarketing,
internet, ...) strategically? Have we implemented channel performance
measuring systems? Are customer information shared between channels
fluidly?
Customer Contact Strategy
Customer
information flow
Strategic follow-up
on channel
performance
Strategic management
of channels
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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Environment 5
Back Office Operations
 Have we integrated customer segment characteristics in our back office
processes and workflow? Are customer information available to these services?
Do we have continuous improvement programs?
Back office operations
Integration of
customer
characteristics in the
workflow
Availability of customer
information to back office
Continuous improvement
programs
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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Quick Viz-Customer Strategy Approach
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
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Quick Viz is designed to fill the need for a rapid diagnostic of a
company ’s position in the 5 environments critical to a successful
customer strategy
 Before embarking on any reorganization and/or implementation of customer
information systems, a quick and targeted diagnostic of the company ’s current
position on the 5 environments critical to successful Customer Strategy is
necessary, because it allows the firm to
— Identify the areas of improvement
— Target the areas, and therefore the efforts for improvement, and
— provide an evaluation tool to measure the company ’s progression towards a
« desired » and not a « subjugated » position
 Nevertheless, even with a project already underway, an evaluation tool for the
firm’s position would be a significant plus to mesure and eventually adjust the
road to the defined target
 That is why, Arestan Consulting has developed the Customer Strategy - Quick
Viz offer which allows a fast identification of areas of improvement in the
management of customer value
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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The 4 principles of the Quick-Viz Approach
 A diagnostic of the 5 environments critical to the success of a Customer Strategy
should precede all significant undertakings
— However, this first phase should be quick, efficient, and non intrusive, because it
should not destabilize the company ’s operations and « state of mind »
 The diagnostic should identify the firm ’s current state and the areas for
improvement
— This evaluation should be objective and complemented by a series of quantifiable
indicators
 The process should also mobilize the executives and a part of the company’s
management, to enable them to build a common vision of the current state
— But to be constructive, this exchange should be based on prepared and validated
elements
 Quick Viz is based on an internal diagnostic, because the internal vision of the
situation has a direct impact on the motivation of the personnel and the success
of the firm
— Nevertheless, the approach and the data analysis model allow us to check the
coherence of the views and identify the eventual areas where an external
investigation would be necessary
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
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A project in 3 weeks, with limited time consumption
Interview with
the Directors
Interviews & questionnaires
with 7 - 10 managers
Synthesis of the results
Review with the
Director in
charge
Management seminar
• Identification of areas for improvement
• Definition of a pilot project
• Definition of a first roadmap
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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Quick Viz Deliverables
 Identification of areas for improvement
— The company ’s position on the 5 environments critical to a successful Customer
Strategy
— Identification of the Gap with respect to the objective
— Identification et reconciliation of eventual divergences or anomalies observed during the
evaluations
— Identification of eventual external investigation needs
 Definition of a pilot project
— Identification of a priority improvement target among the 5 environments
— Definition of a pilot project to improve the identified environment




target objective
main milestones
timing
resources and team
 Definition of a first roadmap for the company
— Definition of the main projects to undertake
— Timing and sequencing of the projects
— Preliminary timing estimation and a brief planning
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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Project organization and the implication of the firm ’s staff
 Director in Charge
— A member of the management team who will be in charge of the project to work with
Arestan Consulting on:
 identification of managers and staff to be interviewed
 reviewing the synthesis document prior to the management seminar
 establishing the list of participants at the management seminar
 Directors, Managers, Staff
— Members of the management committee as well as 7 to 10 managers and staff will
be interviewed for the diagnostic. The tool will be a questionnaire created by Arestan
Consulting which will allow to formulate the every person ’s vision of where the
company is on each of the 5 environments
 Time Consumption (estimation)
— Director in charge : 2 times 2 hours, participation in the seminar, availability on the
telephone
— Directors, Managers, Staff : One 2-hour interview of each
— Seminar participants : 4 to 6 hours
The remainder of the work, including the production of the final document will be
handled by Arestan Consulting
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
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Arestan Consulting
Arestan Consulting works with executives and management teams on the development of their
organizations’ future. Our collaborative approach is focused on the following expertise:
Strategy
• Create a dynamic business portfolio to deliver
value through asset productivity
• Develop and implement strategies to deliver
profitable growth through leveraging the
company ’s core competencies and assets
• Transform the Business Planning exercise
into a powerful business development and
evaluation process
• Enhance profits through innovative customerfocused value creating strategies
Innovation
• Create the environment to get the
most from new ideas and intuition
• Build balanced corporate structures
and processes (rigor, flexibility,
adaptability) to enhance a company ’s
new ventures and intrapreneurship
initiatives
• Design structures and organizations for
effective corporate governance
• Build effective management processes (capital
allocation, human resource management,
budgeting, strategy and portfolio planning)
• Design efficient and decision enabling reporting
tools and processes
• Develop Strategic Business Designs
and Models for new ventures
• Improve the productivity and effectiveness of
Sales, Marketing and Customer Service
functions
• Develop Business Plans for new
activities and innovative start-ups
• Develop and implement successful outsourcing
strategies
• Develop innovative channel strategies
• Develop and implement customer driven key
account management strategies
Organizational Effectiveness
To obtain more further information on Arestan Consulting, you can contact us
108, rue Damrémont
75018 Paris - France
QV-Customer Strategy(GB)
or
Tel : +33 (0) 6 11 48 20 56
email: [email protected]
© 2003 Arestan Consulting
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