Securing Improvement
Securing that a persona is being used effectively and becomes an integral part of company behaviour across all departments and on all levels, is key to an alignment process. The goal is to take it outside of mere marketing and communication. It should not just be a guideline for commercial activities, it should become woven into everyday understanding of everyone involved. An effective method is to run a Motivation Scan, where customer behaviour is linked to the 5 main levels of company dynamics (product, service, relationship, strategy and vision). Similarly, customer behaviour can be linked to these same levels per department. Involving employees in the process of getting insight into customer behaviour, makes them aware and lets them contribute to the whole company dynamics.
The persona is the most powerful tool to start off with when working on an alignment process, as it allows everyone involved to understand what motivates a customer and where to improve touch points. When such persona is being used for decision making at every development stage and in every department, it will secure cross-departmental understanding of why a company does what it does. Almost automatically, every communication flow improves. It translates into setting the right expectations, both internally, as well as externally. The better a persona is crafted, taking the influences of the 3 brain areas into account, the more effective it will be.
In conclusion, the customers motivation to do business with a company is largely based on their first instinctive decision and a loyal customer is one where expectations and experiences match consistently and continuously. Satisfying a customer is a matter of doing the right things right, with the same intention across all touch points, representing the DNA of a company whenever it is in contact with a customer. This customer centric approach allows the transition from knowing what a company does to experiencing what a company does. This secures track record and credibility that makes a company stand out in our globalised, connected world.