New Book Announcement: 'THE CUSTOMER CENTRIC COMPANY: 10 Practices of Customer-Centric Management' to be Released on April 1st

Sendenkaigi Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director and President: Tomoya Takahashi), a specialized publisher in advertising and marketing, will release "THE CUSTOMER CENTRIC COMPANY: 10 Practices of Customer-Centric Management" on April 1st at major bookstores nationwide and online bookstores. This book systematically organizes the practical knowledge of Customer Time Inc., a consulting firm that has handled numerous corporate transformation projects, for the first time. It clarifies the overall structure of customer-centric management, concretizes it into "10 Practices," and outlines a path to transform ideals into business results. This is a must-read for companies looking to redesign their management based on customer centricity.

Released on April 1, 2026 / Published by: Sendenkaigi Edited by: Takuma Iwai Price: 2,420 yen (2,200 yen + tax) ISBN: 978-4-88335-637-9 A5 size / 208 pages

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Recommended by Professor Kazunari Uchida, Waseda University Emeritus Professor "Management transforms through customers, not through digital."

What is "Customer-Centric Management"? It is a management style that integrally designs and operates a company's strategy, proposals, digital infrastructure, and organization, based on customer experience, towards its realization. In the digital age, where constant connections with customers can be built, a company's competitiveness depends not on the volume of digital technology introduced, but on how deeply it understands changing customers and how well it adapts its management actions accordingly. (From this book)

Author Profile Takuma Iwai Representative Director, Customer Time Inc. / Professor, Kumamoto Prefectural University Joined Hakuhodo DY Group in 1993. After participating in corporate revitalization projects as an in-store planner, creative director, and brand consultant, he became Chief Project Manager. In September 2018, he established Customer Time Inc. and assumed the position of Co-CEO Representative Director. As Head of Management, he designs and supports CX transformation projects and business development projects in manufacturing, retail service, and financial industries, together with diverse specialists participating in Customer Time. Completed Master's program (MBA) at Waseda University Graduate School of Commerce. Belonged to Kazunari Uchida's laboratory. Appointed External Director of AgeWellJapan Inc. from January 2025. Appointed Professor at Kumamoto Prefectural University from April 2026. His books include "The New Basics of Marketing" (Nikkei BP), "World's Most Advanced Marketing: Channel Shift Strategy for Companies Connecting with Customers" (Nikkei BP), "Competitive Strategy for Innovation" (Toyo Keizai Inc.), "Competitive Strategy for Game Changers" (Nikkei Inc.), "Omnichannel and Current Customer Strategy" (Chikura Shobo), and "Narrative Strategy" (Nikkei BP). He has received numerous awards, including the Japan Marketing Book Award.

Content Introduction The digitalization of society, which has progressed since the late 1990s, is predicted to reach maturity in 2040, after approximately 40 years. This change has significantly altered people's behavior and values, corporate business models, and even the very nature of management. In response to these transformations, many companies have undertaken "DX (Digital Transformation)." However, in many cases, these efforts have merely replaced existing management styles with digital ones, failing to create new customer value or achieve business results, leading to stagnation. This book points out that the cause lies in "the inability to envision the customer experience that should be the original starting point." What companies need now is to envision "a better life for customers" that changes with digital technology as a customer experience, and to redesign and operate their management style towards its realization. This book systematizes this concept as "Customer-Centric Management," organizes its overall structure, and concretizes it into "10 Practices," explaining the positioning of each area and the fundamental way of thinking. In addition, core members of Customer Time, who are professionals in each area, present methodologies for putting these practices into action.

"10 Practices" to Re-examine Management Style Practice 1. Business Purpose Set or reconfirm "how to contribute to society." Practice 2. Business Goals Set or reconfirm "what state to achieve by when." Practice 3. Customer Value Set "what 'better life' to realize for customers." Practice 4. Customer Strategy Set "what kind of customer base to achieve by when." Practice 5. Customer Experience Envision "what kind of experience will realize 'a better life'." Practice 6. Customer Understanding Design and operate "what mechanism to use to understand customers." Practice 7. Customer Proposals Design and operate "what proposals to make to customers using these." Practice 8. Business Results Design and operate "what metrics to use to measure these results." Practice 9. Business Organization Design and operate "what kind of organization to create to operate these." Practice 10. Project Design a "Project to promote the transformation to customer-centric management." (From this book)

Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 0: Transformation to Customer-Centric Management: Beyond Digital Transformation What is Customer-Centric Management? Practice 1: Business Purpose - How to contribute to society Positioning of Business Purpose: The North Star of Transformation Thinking Method for Business Purpose: Reconfirming the meaning of words and actions Realities of Practice ①: True customer centricity is not about thinking customer-first (Miho Tahara, Sustainability Marketer, Customer Time) Practice 2: Business Goals - What state to achieve by when Positioning of Business Goals: Raising the Flag Thinking Method for Business Goals: Showing both intent and numerical values Practice 3: Customer Value - What "better life" to realize for customers Positioning of Customer Value: What is "a better life"? Thinking Method for Customer Value: Considering three values Realities of Practice ②: How to assess customer value - Don't end with a concept, draw the driving force to move the organization (Yohei Fujii, Strategist) Practice 4: Customer Strategy - What kind of customer base to achieve by when Positioning of Customer Strategy: Envisioning the target customer base Thinking Method for Customer Strategy: Showing customer numbers and annual customer sales Realities of Practice ③: Customer Strategy Drill (Tetsuya Maeda, Customer Account Planner, Customer Time) Practice 5: Customer Experience - What kind of experience will realize "a better life" Positioning of Customer Experience: Envisioning a better life as an experience Thinking Method for Customer Experience: Drawing experience in space and time Realities of Practice ④: Practice of Life Flow Design (Osamu Onishi, OMO Designer, Customer Time) Realities of Practice ⑤: Thinking of Core Interface (Atsushi Shiota, Chief CX Designer, Customer Time) Practice 6: Customer Understanding - What mechanism to use to understand customers Positioning of Customer Understanding: The foundation of customer-centric management Thinking Method for Customer Understanding: Uniqueness in customer understanding creates competitive advantage Realities of Practice ⑥: AI in CX - Three areas where utilization is progressing (Kosuke Hamano, Marketing Technologist, Customer Time) Practice 7: Customer Proposals - What proposals to make to customers using these Positioning of Customer Proposals: Proposal model based on customer understanding Thinking Method for Customer Proposals: Flexibly combining 3Ps Realities of Practice ⑦: Practice of "Continuously Chosen" Customer Proposals (Daijiro Ban, Chief Strategist, Customer Time) Practice 8: Business Results - What metrics to use to measure these results Positioning of Business Results: KPIs considered from a customer-centric perspective Thinking Method for Business Results: Measuring transformation progress by customers Practice 9: Business Organization - What kind of organization to create to operate these Positioning of Business Organization: What is the first agenda item of the management meeting? Thinking Method for Business Organization: Chief Customer Officer, the overall responsible person for customer experience Realities of Practice ⑧: Transforming customer understanding into management resources (Shigeo Kitara, Evangelist, Customer Time) Practice 10: Project - Project Management for promoting transformation to customer-centric management Positioning of Project Management: A project is a network organization Thinking Method for Project Management: The Project Manager's style Realities of Practice ⑨: Improvisation and Order (Chihiro Tsuji, Project Management Office, Customer Time) Conclusion