The Relationship Economy: Building Stronger Customer Connections in the Digital Age
RATING
In the book The Relationship Economy: Building Stronger Customer Connections in the Digital Age, the author John DiJulius highlights the importance of relationship building. John R. DiJulius III is considered a premier authority on world-class Customer service and is the author of three books on Customer experience. He is the president of The DiJulius Group – a customer service consulting firm that works with such big and successful companies as Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, The Ritz-Carlton, Nestle, PwC, Lexus.
DiJulius begins this book by offering the following thought. “The Relationship Economy is how strongly you feel about the people and businesses in your life. Relationships are the biggest differentiator in customer and brand loyalty. Relationships are at the center of all we do.” In fact, the entire first chapter of the book has nothing to do with business. It is dedicated to and focused on describing what skills and attributes in a person make them a formidable relationship builder. Moreover, it offers insights on the importance of building those relationships in one’s personal and professional life.
The next chapters explore in depth a variety of topics: what a Relationship Economy is, why it is important, and how to dominate it. The 2nd chapter examines the rapid pace at which business and customer service are changing. Chapter 3 explores ways to humanize this experience. The 4th chapter delves into the new reality of the touch-screen world we are living in today. Chapter 5 lays out a systematic approach to building instant rapport with others – both personally and professionally. The 6th chapter shows how businesses are executing those principles in their organizations. Subsequently, chapters 7 and 8 look at the benefits of strong relationships between the business and its customers, and the business and its employees. Then chapter 9 shows how one can be the game changer of the industry one’s in; after which chapter 10 emphasizes the importance of micro-experiences on customer loyalty. Finally, chapter 11 puts it all into the broader context of living a meaningful life as a person.
We truly appreciate how this book explores and highlights relationships. The author understands and depicts relationships as something more than just interactions that we have, that for genuine relationships to exist there need to be deep and meaningful interactions. The book does a good job of describing what makes good relationships and moreover, how those relationships are formed. It then does a solid job of describing the implications and impacts they can have on a business.
While the author explains what relationships are and how to leverage them, he does not give a clear roadmap of how to evolve one’s business model to incorporate these ideas. Adapting a business model and integrating these fundamental changes into not just business practices, but into business and product development is a step above what this book offers.
In The Relationship Economy, author John DiJulius teaches business leaders about the importance of relationship building in the digital age. He argues that in spite of (and because of) the advances in tech, we’ve become a less connected society. We have dramatically evolved away from face-to-face communication, and the skill of building rapport is evaporating. This means that customer personalization and relationships are more important now than ever–and they will be the key to success for businesses moving forward. As he aptly states, “Being able to build true sustainable relationships is the biggest competitive advantage in a world where automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are eliminating the human experience, which is what creates the emotional connections that build true customer loyalty.” This book reminds readers of the importance of personal connections and shows them how to attain meaningful, lasting relationships with their customers.
This book has valuable insights for anyone who is currently running or developing their business. While it does not offer enough insights to help one with a complete transformation based on relationships, it can help plant seeds into one’s mind about things which need to be integrated and thought about.
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