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The Path to Customer Centricity

University of Connecticut

Roland T. Rust

University of Maryland, rrust{at}rhsmith.umd.edu

A. Parasuraman

University of Miami

Richard Staelin

Duke University

George S. Day

University of Pennsylvania

The concept of customer centricity and its benefits have been discussed for more than 50 years. Despite this fact, many firms are still struggling to fully align themselves to the customer-centric paradigm. This article identifies fundamental issues and challenges that typically deter a firm from becoming customer-centric. These are mainly related to the organizational culture, structure, processes, and financial metrics of the firm. To overcome these barriers, the article suggests a path to customer centricity that is driven by a strong leadership commitment, organizational realignment, systems and process support, and revised financial metrics. The article concludes with directions for further research.

Key Words: customer centricity • product-centric to customer-centric • market-driven • market-oriented • organization change

Journal of Service Research, Vol. 9, No. 2, 113-124 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1094670506294666


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