‘The best half an hour I’ve spent’: Customer closeness in a low-engagement category

Room 2 | 4:45 pm - 5:15 pm | Wednesday, May 8, 2024

The need for customer centricity has soared to the top of the list of organizational priorities for most businesses. For many, it is a philosophy and a pledge which is held dear.

Whilst those with frequent and high customer engagement find it relatively easy to show proof of commitment, for most still working towards customer centricity, the journey is more treacherous. Working most arduously of all are the brands that are not proactively chosen by customers but rather operate invisibly in the background. Nest, a provider of compulsory work-based pensions, is exactly that type of brand.

To tackle the challenge of customer centricity, Nest has utilized its online community, Your Way, to learn about the key needs and challenges for members. Nest has activated the platform in ways that have allowed the brand to take member voices directly – and effectively – into the boardroom.

On one level, Your Way has furnished Nest with several tactical insights around its member base, such as comms refinement or pension comprehension. The community has also been used for “under the skin” deeper strategic pieces such as decoding the concept of risk from a member perspective. Nest has been able to put members face-to-face with senior stakeholders within the organization for one-to-one conversations around where (if at all) pensions feature in their financial planning. This always-on contact with members has been key in building internal commitment to being a customer-first organization.

This is a story of inspiration, to guide other brands in their customer-centricity challenge. Nest will prove that by genuinely using customers as the starting point of the process, rather than simply as a solution to a wider business demand, customer centricity is achievable for all.

Key takeaways:

1. The power of thinking creatively to get the best out of your customer base.
2. The benefits to both the organization and members of having an always-on customer touchpoint.
3. How to engage/activate your internal stakeholders to get on board with genuine customer centricity.