Time to Reflect on Business and Build Your Happiness

We talked to Denyse Drummond-Dunn, founder of C3 Centricity, about customer relations and this is what she said about it.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times? 

Denyse Drummond-Dunn: Thanks for asking. I live in Switzerland where we are now in our third lockdown, but vaccination has started. I have been lucky enough to have received my first dose so I am already feeling a little less stressed than before. For me, the biggest problem is that I have always worked globally, so I do miss traveling, but hopefully, I can be out on the road again before the end of the year. In the meantime, I make extensive use of video conferencing, as we all do.

Tell us about you, your career, and how you founded C3 Centricity.

Denyse Drummond-Dunn: I have worked in the corporate world for more than thirty years, but ten years ago I set up a consultancy business, C3Centricity, to help organizations become more customer-centric and adopt a customer-first strategy. It has been very successful and I am thankful for all my clients around the world who have trusted their businesses to me.

However, following a number of serious incidents in my life in the past few years, I wanted to do more to help everyone cope with all the challenges in their lives. Then the covid pandemic hit us all and I realized I had to do even more, so I founded Finding Your Happy. 

I now run free workshops online and do 1-on-1 intuitive coaching with people who are struggling with problems in their lives. You see, I am intuitive who refused my gifts as a child so I would fit in. But after decades of receiving messages for myself and others, I have finally embraced my talent openly. Today I use my abilities to help those who seek more happiness.

Now you may be asking how intuitive coaching differs from a regular coach. Well, an intuitive coach is someone who follows the principles of traditional coaching but who also enables you to connect with your own inner guidance. By using your innate intuition, amplified by my own intuitive powers, you will be able to have more confidence in your gut feelings and discover your destined path to your happiest life ever.

How does C3 Centricity innovate? 

Denyse Drummond-Dunn: As a customer-centricity champion, I remain very close to my clients, both current and potential. I am also very active on social media and regularly speak at global conferences where I keep up-to-date with new ideas, problems, and solutions. I am naturally curious and always think things could be done better. As an ideas person, I am able to take an external perspective which is a great advantage when solving problems be they personal or professional. 

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Denyse Drummond-Dunn: The pandemic has had a huge impact on my speaking business of course but I am still able to advise clients through conference calls and email. It is actually an advantage, as it takes less time, but I do miss the personal contacts with my partners and clients.

Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources and what are the lessons learned?

Denyse Drummond-Dunn: I am a solopreneur so luckily I don’t face HR issues other than with myself – I do tend to work long hours and most days of the week which I know is not ideal health-wise But as an entrepreneur I accept that there are times when we need to work at weekends when building a business, or striving to maintain as much normality as possible. 

I know many people have lost their jobs during the pandemic, which is one area I get a lot of requests for help. I encourage my clients to see this as an opportunity to re-evaluate their careers and decide if a change of position, organization, or even direction would not make them happier. We normally don’t get the chance to take a step back, as our natural tendency is to keep working, harder and longer, giving us little time to think or reflect on what job would really make us happy.

I also encourage people to think back to their childhood, and what they liked doing then or were naturally talented in. Research shows that it is between the ages of 7 and 13 that children show their natural gifts, but we often forget them as we age and try to fit into society and the demands placed upon us. 

Through my program, I have helped a corporate woman become an animal communicator and an executive consultant become an online entrepreneur. These are both occupations that neither thought about before working with me, although they both had natural tendencies that they had ignored until then. Luckily they are now both happier and more successful than they were before. 

How did your customer relationship management evolve? Do you use any specific tools to be efficient? 

Denyse Drummond-Dunn: I’ve already said that I am a customer-centricity champion so CRM is very important for me. At a time where face-to-face contact is practically impossible, I have moved to a lot more online video calls and conferences. I have found that everyone has adjusted quite well to this new way of working. I even know one executive who got hired for a new position without meeting their fellow board members in person! The tools I use are those most relevant to an entrepreneur, so automated emailing and outreach, as well as list-building platforms, are my main tools. 

Did you benefit from any government grants, and did that help keep your business afloat?

Denyse Drummond-Dunn: Here in Switzerland, the government has been very generous in helping SMEs with loans during the pandemic. Luckily for me, I have not needed any support in this way, but some of my clients have. They have been grateful to have the grants to pay the essentials such as rent and salaries during the lockdowns, but I also know that they worry about how long it will take them to pay the loans back when they reopen. 

Your final thoughts?

Denyse Drummond-Dunn: I believe that everything happens for a reason in life. The pandemic has speeded up the need for cross-border collaboration around the world and has highlighted many areas where countries need to pay more attention than they have been doing. I am speaking of course about healthcare, food supply chains, government support to SMEs, and the taxation of larger corporations. 

Your website?

https://c3centricity.com 

https://finding-your-happy.com