Is the customer really at the center of your company's decisions?
In today’s market, it’s not enough to offer a good product or service – the difference lies in the genuine connection with those at the forefront of the business. Companies that deeply understand their customers’ pain points and transform these needs into concrete solutions create value in a sustainable way.
Na Prevision, for example, we learned this in practice. As a construction tech focused on Lean Construction, we were born to solve a real problem in the construction industry: the lack of physical and financial predictability in works. Throughout our journey, we realized that putting the customer at the center goes far beyond meeting demands – it means thinking like the customer and understanding their context so that we can evolve together.
In this article, we explore what putting the customer at the center means in practice and how this commitment can generate real business impact.
Customer at the center: what does it mean in practice?
Putting the customer at the center is a daily exercise in empathy and perception, which requires not only understanding your needs, but also seeing the market and solutions through your eyes. Think like the customer is a starting point to truly understand your needs and create solutions that make a difference.
When one works manager states that it needs physical and financial predictability, for example, it is not enough to create a reporting tool. It is necessary to understand how it makes decisions, what information really makes a difference in day-to-day life and how we can make your routine more efficient
Putting the customer at the center is a movement of active empathy, which requires more than knowing your audience: it is essential to make an effort to feel their pain, understand their context and constantly validate whether what is being proposed really makes sense.
According to the study Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI), carried out by Brand Keys, in 2024, customers who perceive that their expectations are met are six times more likely to continue buying from a brand, in addition to being more willing to pay higher prices.
This means that customer centricity goes far beyond a concept: it is a commitment that requires consistency, adaptation and continuous validation. However, transforming this vision into practice is not an easy task. There are challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that this approach is, in fact, part of the company’s culture and strategic decisions.
Challenges of putting the customer at the center
One of the biggest challenges is ensure alignment between discourse and practice. If I sell a product, I need to deliver it with quality and consistency. It seems simple, but it requires structure, investment and a well-prepared team.
Growing with quality requires investment, an aligned team, strategic decisions and a lot of validation, which can be a challenge for many companies, but it is worth it.
From the beginning, we learned in practice that validating the solution with customers is not optional, but essential. One of our biggest lessons was realizing that well-intentioned features may not generate the expected impact if they are not created with those who will actually use them. Therefore, we adopted a principle that we follow to this day: always validate, always listen, always adjust.
Another big challenge is compete with cheaper solutions, even when we know that the value of what we do is much greater.
However, the greater the investments in delivering value, the greater the customer loyalty. Proof of this is the study of Brand Keys, which highlights that retaining a customer costs up to 16 times less than acquiring a new one.
Internally, the numbers of Prevision also confirm that putting the customer at the center works. Our NPS of 73 and satisfaction rating of 9,4 These aren’t just metrics—they’re a reflection of a close relationship and a real commitment to our customers. This translates into higher retention, organic growth, and a committed, united team that wears the shirt with pride.
How to put the customer at the center of decisions?
It all starts with the why. And that why needs to be anchored in a real impact on the customer experience. That’s what drives us every day.
Putting the customer at the center is not a goal, it is a daily commitment. Every conversation, every feature, every solution is born from the purpose of transforming real challenges into opportunities. When the customer grows, we grow together. And that is how we build a sustainable future for our business.
Develop a purpose and have a consistent culture
Na Prevision, we know a very concrete pain of construction: the lack of physical and financial predictability in works.
We feel this problem closely and we transform frustration into purpose. More than developing software, we are committed to helping construction companies make safer and more efficient decisions.
Growing sustainably goes beyond the desire to expand; it is essential to solve a real market need, not just an internal perception. Therefore, the company's purpose must be aligned with the concrete pain points of customers and be incorporated into the organizational culture on a daily basis.
When this commitment becomes part of the essence of the business, the culture of putting the customer at the center is strengthened in the long term, ensuring consistency and direction. This is what allows the company to continue growing, even in the face of the most complex challenges.
Have market people on the service team
To offer top-notch support and truly put the customer at the center, It is essential to have a team that understands your challenges in depth. This means going beyond friendly service and ensuring that professionals have the technical knowledge to understand the customer's pain points and offer assertive solutions.
Na Prevision, for example, many collaborators are civil engineers who have already experienced the pains that they now help to solve. This allows us not only to offer technical support, but also to act as strategic partners for our clients, anticipating needs, suggesting improvements and ensuring that each functionality of our platform generates real value in the day-to-day work of projects.
Promote proximity
Foster closeness with customers, whether through regular meetings or events. It may seem simple, but it is during these meetings that new opportunities may arise, whether to solve a new problem or improve solutions.
A practical example of this proximity is the Café Prevision, a moment that connects construction companies and customers from the same region to exchange experiences, strengthening empathy and understanding of our customers' daily lives.
Listen with humility
Before any decision, listen to the customer openly and without bias. Visits, interviews and direct observation are important practices.
Even with prior experience in the industry, we can never assume what is best for the customer without asking them directly.
Active listening, which is a communication technique that consists of listen carefully to what another person is saying, needs to happen without judgment.
Feedback is gold!
To make available channels for customers to share suggestions and contribute ideas It is not just a good practice, it is an essential strategy to evolve continuously and in line with market needs.
Na Prevision, we believe that listening to our customers is one of the pillars of our growth. Therefore, we maintain an open platform where they can suggest improvements and new features, directly influencing our development roadmap.
With a base of approximately 20 users who experience the challenges of the sector on a daily basis, we have the opportunity to capture valuable insights that go beyond the internal vision of the company. This process allows us to anticipate needs, improve our solutions and deliver even more value to our products.
How the customer-centric concept is applied in the Group Softplan?
The incorporation of construtech Prevision to the Group Softplan It was a milestone. We went from having a team of 100 people to being part of a structure with more than 3 employees. For this integration to be positive, we maintained an essential focus: culture and purpose.
The decision to join the Group Softplan was taken based on the alignment of values. We found a company with the same vision of putting the customer at the center, in addition to a strong cultural alignment.
We continue to take advantage of opportunities to improve our solutions. In the last Construsummit, for example, we identified another important pain point: in addition to planning, our customers needed support in cost management. This motivated us to develop a new product, scheduled to be launched in June 2025.
For the future: Customer Committee
We are taking our commitment to putting the customer at the center even further. To this end, we are structuring a Customer Committee, a strategic initiative that will have the direct participation of those who understand the challenges of the sector best: our own users.
The idea is that these clients act as advisors, helping to guide decisions, validate paths and contribute to our long-term vision. More than just listening, we want to build together, ensuring that each evolution of the platform is aligned with the real needs of the market.
Because, in the end, Putting the customer at the center is a daily choice, a genuine commitment and a path to generating real impact. With each conversation, each visit, each functionality created, we reaffirm this mission alongside those who are on the front lines, transforming challenges into opportunities and driving the entire sector into the future.