The word accountability creates shudders for business leaders. Because accountability suggests another word – liability. If something goes wrong, who is liable? Who pays?
As a result, legal contracts contain narrow definitions of accountability.
And that permeates the business culture. Businesses focus only on the areas they’re accountable for. If customers get their part wrong, the vendor isn’t accountable. Or liable. Business leaders sleep easier at night.
But a new development has disturbed their sleep – customer mobility. It’s getting easier for customers to switch providers.
Customers switch when they don’t get the outcome they wanted. And it doesn’t matter who was at fault. If the customer doesn’t feel successful, they can switch.
So, providers must ensure customers achieve their outcome. And that means helping customers do their part. In a practical sense, you take joint accountability (not legal) for enabling the customer outcome. And that helps you retain revenue.
You can then offer new products and services to improve the outcome. And that drives expansion revenue.
So, joint accountability for the outcome fuels revenue growth.
#CS #outcomeleaders #outcomes #customercentric #CSM #incomefromoutcomes