How do you view your customers?

Jeffrey Phillips at Thinking Faster blog has a post of such simplicity, such clarity, that...well of course people will dismiss it. He has this crazy  idea that you should just talk to your customers. Instead of theorizing about what a sample customer might want....ask 'em or give 'em your product and see what they like or don't like. Or, he gets way over the top on this idea, talk to a real, live, customer.

Tongue firmly removed from my cheek and sarcasm turned off, it's a great post about How Do You View Your Customers? Nameless voids, stereotypical caricatures, victims who need you? Or are they real people and you know that because you talk with them, real person to real person?

Speaking directly with our customers, picking up the phone and calling customers, old ones and new ones and ex-ones, is one of the best projects I undertake regularly.  There's nothing more powerful than calling a customer and asking are you happy or unhappy with our service, what more can we do, would you like my cell phone number in case you think of something or in the event we should drop the ball, would you recommend us, etc, etc.

Yes, it's time-consuming. I have to be very alert not to segue into the thinking of well, I've got 'mportant work to get done...I don't have time to call customers. Ok. Maybe a report needs to get done today. That's an urgent/urgent project. But the most important activity I  have every day is talking with everyone in the company, formally and informally. And right there, beside and hand-in-hand with that is talking with customers. Directly. Me, one2one.