Customer advocacy is a specialized form of customer service in which companies focus on what is best for the customer. It is a change in a company's culture that is supported by customer-focused customer service and marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

techniques.

Customer advocacy business model

A customer advocacy policy encompasses all aspects of customer contact, including products, services, sales and complaints. Some examples of a customer advocacy approach are suggesting a product even if the profit margin is less for the company, setting service call appointments based on the customer's, not the company's preferred hours, or recommending a competitor's product because it better meets the customer's needs.

Role of the customer advocate

Customer advocates are facilitators between customers and the company. They are trained in cross-functional roles and empowered to provide customers with assistance in all areas of the business. The role of the customer advocate is three-fold:

• To be the main contact for the customer in handling a question or problem and keeping the customer updated with timely and frequent updates as to the progress of resolving the issue.
• To facilitate a resolution by bringing together the appropriate department heads.
• To implement a procedure that ensures the problem does not occur again or recommends products or services to better meet customers' needs.

Measuring customer advocacy

Customer advocacy can be integrated into a company’s strategic goals and measured through customer satisfaction, retention, and profitability.