Customer orientation: Examples, skills, and actionable tips

Many business owners believe they understand what drives customer loyalty — but the data tells a different story. 

According to a report from Adobe*, only 26% of business owners think frequent service delays would cost them customers, but 65% of customers say they’d leave because of it. And while 36% of business owners believe people would switch to a competitor for a better experience, 58% of customers say they actually would.

Far too many businesses think they know what customers want but don’t listen to (or understand) what customers actually want.

That’s why customer orientation is so important. It’s not just about providing great customer service but creating an experience that puts the customer first.
Is your business customer-oriented? Keep reading to find out. Plus, we have some examples of customer orientation from actual companies and tips to create a more customer-oriented business.

What is customer orientation?

Customer orientation is a business strategy that prioritizes customer needs, preferences, and expectations in every aspect of your business. It’s about understanding customers so well that you anticipate their needs and shape decisions around them — not just react when they have an issue.

Customer service teams are crucial for handling individual interactions and providing great service. But customer orientation goes beyond any single touchpoint. It’s about ensuring every part of the business — from service development to communication — aligns with what your customers want. 

Customer orientation is like a great barista — they remember that you like oat milk and an extra shot of espresso. They write “Have a great day!” on your cup. They’re not just serving a nice cup of coffee. They’re making customers feel valued.

By focusing on every interaction with your customers, you can keep them coming back.

Why is it important to be customer-oriented?

With customer orientation, you can have more predictable revenue, customer loyalty, and customer retention — leading to long-term growth.
Providing good support to existing customers is just one piece of the customer journey. For example, a customer’s negative experience during onboarding can impact their entire relationship with your company. With customer orientation, you consider all stages of the customer experience.

3 great examples of customer orientation

Wondering what customer orientation looks like in action? Here are a few standout companies that put customers at the heart of their business.

1. F45 Training

F45 Training, a global gym franchise, thrives in the highly competitive fitness industry by prioritizing personal connections — even as it scales.

To make every new member feel like part of the community, F45 has a structured, personalized follow-up process: 

• When a client signs up, a studio manager reaches out to answer questions and guide them to their first class. 
• Within 24 hours after the class, F45 checks in to ask for feedback and address concerns. 
• The head coach continues regular follow-ups to keep clients engaged and motivated. 

F45 also uses texting to connect with members in ways that feel personal and relevant. For example, they ran a campaign inviting members to bring friends to Wahlberg Week (a series of classes created by Mark Wahlberg and F45 Chief of Athletics). Boosting their texting volume by 50% for this campaign resulted in the highest membership growth in one month their studios had experienced.

2. Sonny Wine Bar

Sonny is a wine bar in Hobart, Australia, dedicated to life’s “simple pleasures.” Rather than expanding at the cost of service quality, they focus on creating warm, intimate experiences.

Their customer service mindset shines through how they operate. Instead of adding more tables or rushing service to increase revenue, Sonny prioritizes personalizing interactions by remembering customer preferences.  The commitment to service over scale makes it a perfect example of putting customer experience ahead of short-term profit. 

Sonny has built a strong reputation for its attentive staff and service. As one reviewer put it: 

“The staff are the heart and soul of Sonny. Their knowledge and enthusiasm for their craft are infectious. It’s the kind of place where you feel like a regular even on your first visit.”

3. YOWIE Hotel

YOWIE, a boutique hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was recently named one of Travel + Leisure’s best new hotels in the world — thanks to its thoughtful, guest-centered approach.

Unlike traditional hotels, YOWIE skips the standard check-in desk. Instead, guests receive a welcome text with an access code to their room. While this might seem impersonal, YOWIE ensures guests feel cared for with responsive text and call support from a dedicated team. 

The hotel also adds personal touches that make a big impact, like handwritten notes and a curated printed guide featuring local favorites in guests’ rooms. A poster of the month’s neighborhood happenings hangs near the elevator, and a drawer stocked with essentials ensures guests have anything they may have forgotten.

These small but meaningful details create a warm, personalized experience that tends to exceed customer expectations.

Quick self-check: Is your business customer-oriented?

Are you prioritizing your customers in the best ways possible? Here are some questions to ask yourself. (Be honest!)

1. Do we anticipate customer needs before they ask?
2. Do we act on customer feedback and make it visible to them?
3. Are our processes built around customer convenience, not just efficiency?
4. Do employees have the freedom to find solutions and go the extra mile when problem-solving, or do they follow rigid, prescribed steps?
5. Do our teams collaborate and share information so customers don’t have to repeat themselves?

If you feel like you could improve the customer experience in any of these areas, don’t worry. We’ve got some suggestions on how to strengthen your customer-focused approach.

5 ways to create a more customer-oriented business

The strategies you use to create a more customer-oriented culture will depend on your customer base and business model. You should adapt these situations to your needs.

And remember, even though you’ll want to implement customer orientation strategies, you don’t have to do them all at once. Pick the one you think will have the most impact and start there.

1. Gather, act on, and share customer feedback regularly 

Many businesses collect feedback — like surveys — but don’t do anything with the information. To be customer-oriented, you need to act on the feedback. You should also share it with your entire company (regardless of role) so everyone is on the same page.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Gather feedback across channels. Not all customers will fill out a survey. Some may leave a review on Google or comment on one of your social media pages. Monitor reviews, social media, direct messages, texts, and call data. You can even track call drivers — the reasons customers are calling your support team — for insights into customer complaints and pain points.

2. Make feedback accessible. Store feedback in a centralized location (like Notion) so everyone can see the information, not just customer-facing teams. You can also use Slack to share customer feedback so your customer service team can discuss it.

3. Act on feedback and close the loop with customers. Once you’ve made improvements, let your customers know. If you know which customers made a specific request, reach out to them directly. You can also make an announcement via email to make all of your customers aware of the change.

Here’s an example of how GrowthMentor, an online mentoring platform, informed users of an update to their payment plan options:

2. Use customer feedback as coaching opportunities

If your team understands your customers and empathizes with them, they can provide better service.  Employees can learn good customer service skills using real examples from your customers. You can also use customer feedback for customer service coaching and sales call coaching.

Here’s how to tackle this:

1. Identify recurring issues in calls and messages. Are customers frustrated by wait times or confused by pricing? Are your customer support reps engaged in active listening? Use this data to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals with your customer service reps to help them improve.

2. Provide training based on real interactions. Use call and voicemail recordings and transcripts (available on OpenPhone Business plans) to coach employees based on actual customer experiences. You can also schedule regular 1:1 training with employees and track progress.
   
3. Pinpoint patterns with call tags. Since reviewing all calls would be time-consuming, you can use AI call tags to identify customer sentiment — such as frustrated customers — and use those examples in your training material. 

4. Keep feedback and training materials organized. Customer insights and examples you use should be stored in a shared location for easy reference. Include coaching notes you have for the interactions so future employees can review the examples and understand the feedback. 

Teams can be more collaborative and improve first call resolution when they have easy access to information. Shared inboxes in OpenPhone give teams complete visibility into every interaction. You can also use call listening to review calls and provide additional feedback or coaching.

Next step: Create a customer service quality assurance program to ensure your coaching feedback is implemented. You can use call monitoring software to assist in this effort.

3. Keep teams aligned to avoid miscommunication 

If teams aren’t on the same page, it’s difficult to be customer-oriented. Sales teams, customer support, and other departments working in silos lead to scattered information, inconsistent messaging, and frustrated customers.

Here’s how to fix this: 

1. Document how teams should handle customer interactions and collaborate behind the scenes. Define who responds to different types of customer requests, how follow-ups are managed, and how customer information is shared internally. Provide examples of problem-solving, such as the best solution to offer a customer or how to redirect them to the appropriate department. 

2. Provide the necessary context. Everyone should know how to document and share customer information internally, whether it’s storing data in a CRM or reviewing a customer’s call history. 

If you can collaborate in real-time without the customer noticing — such as using OpenPhone’s internal threads — even better. This allows you to resolve their needs more quickly. 

4. Personalize communication using customer data

Like a barista knowing your coffee order, customers are delighted when a business remembers their preferences, past interactions, and needs. In many cases, they expect interactions to be personalized. 

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Use customer data to tailor interactions. Your team could reference the latest purchase, proactively address past concerns, or communicate via their preferred method (text, phone, or email).
   
2. Keep key details accessible. In OpenPhone, you can add contact notes and custom properties next to each customer chat in the side panel.
   
3. Ensure consistency across your team. Storing important customer details — like preferences or small personal tidbits — makes every conversation feel familiar, even if a different team member is responding.

5. Proactively reach out to customers before issues arise 

Not all unhappy customers will reach out. You should proactively check in to make sure they’re happy with your service. If you do this at the right time, you can address customer concerns before they become larger problems (or one-star reviews on Google). 

Here’s how to think about an outreach plan:

1. Identify key moments for outreach. If you know that customers sometimes have problems during onboarding or questions after receiving their first bill, use those pain points as a reason to reach out and offer assistance. You might also want to check in with a customer before their renewal date; checking in 30-60 days prior to renewal gives you the opportunity to address any concerns the customer has (whereas if you wait too close to the date, it may be too late). 

2. Re-engage with customers. If you haven’t heard from a customer in a while, use the opportunity to reach out and see how things are going. For example, an HVAC business might reach out to customers who haven’t booked any services recently and offer a seasonal tune-up. 

3. Build scalable processes. You don’t want your team to become so bogged down with check-ins that they can’t manage regular interactions with customers. In OpenPhone, you can use snippets to save quick messages that you send repeatedly (like a post-call survey). 

You can also use OpenPhone’s scheduling feature to automate follow-ups so you never miss the opportunity to have additional interactions with the customer.

Improve your customer orientation with OpenPhone

As businesses grow, they often focus on standardization and efficiency. Good for business operations; not necessarily the best experience for your customers. 

Successful businesses don’t just focus on internal goals and metrics. They adopt strong customer orientation strategies to ensure growth doesn’t come at the expense of customer relationships. 

OpenPhone helps growing businesses stay customer-centric by providing a collaborative business phone solution teams can rely on for context and insights. OpenPhone streamlines customer communications with shared inboxes and phone numbers, internal threads, call tags, and contact notes. 

To see how OpenPhone can help you provide excellent customer service, sign up for a free seven-day trial. 

*State of Digital Customer Experience report, Oxford Economics and Adobe 

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