Putting Relationships back into Your Business

A brief look at Google’s search volume reveals people are interested in the relationship portion of “customer relationship management.” Key terms including: “relationship manager,” “client relationship manager” and “client relationship” are rising terms. This interest is encouraging for businesses and customers alike.

When I think about my most important relationships in my life, I think about friends, loved ones, co-workers and business partners who are each invaluable in a specific way. Most of the time, what makes these relationships so valuable are the intangibles. The joy spent with families and friends at birthdays or holiday gatherings makes life worth it.

For our company, we are in the business of making our clients happy. This is not only measured in how well we execute a technically challenging project, but in how well we help out our clients. We work in the tension between managing and fostering relationships. Many of our clients are in the manufacturing sector, and it is so rewarding to see our services make their day-to-day lives easier. At the end of the day, we care about how our consultants interact with clients. And we care about the process to achieve great results.

So much so that we came up with an internal code called Datix DNA. In this code of ethics, we adhere to traits such as improvement, innovation (we always want to learn about new technologies), excellence in a purposeful manner, integrity (we value how and what services we provide to our clients), and an entrepreneurial spirit. The last one is fundamental as we continue to grow as a firm. This is a trait that gives ownership to each employee in all situations. This means greater freedom and greater responsibility. Ultimately, this means we have consultants and employees who are passionate about what they do.

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” – Aristotle

Agree? Let me know what traits you see as most valuable in your organization.