Do you ever get the feeling that brand is something that is tacked on at the end of innovation efforts? Like the wrapping on a present, brand is perceived as just the way things are presented and sold. In my experience, this undermines your innovation. It keeps a business’s relationship with its customers transactional, and […]
Embed your Brand in your Innovation Sandbox Read More »
Jack returned to his office after the leadership meeting. He felt exhilarated – he and Kim had actually pitched a new approach to innovation that started with the customer instead of the idea. And while they only got a lukewarm response … and a lot of skepticism … from the rest of the team, they
Aligning Innovation Investment with Your Brand Read More »
I don’t know about you but I’m tired of innovation contests that pursue the next shiny new object. Yes, creating something cool and different generates excitement in employees and inspires their creativity. But if their efforts don’t yield results, like increased customer loyalty, market share, or competitive advantage, then employees and leadership become disillusioned. Is
How Corporate Innovation Can Thump Startup Disruption Read More »
Kim and Jack went into the leadership meeting, ready to present their strategy for the winner of the innovation contest. They were excited and nervous. Focusing the winning team on measuring the value of their service to the customer was different from what they had done in the past. Typically, their innovation efforts were about
Why Long Term Strategy Beats Quick Fix Innovation Read More »
Let’s face it, businesses are tired of the mantra to innovate. My clients often tell me that their efforts focused on innovation have produced mediocre results at best. That their people are disillusioned because innovation is disruptive, an extra they have to fit into their “spare” time. They lament that the things other businesses label
Want to Innovate? Solve a Customer’s Problem Read More »
Jack was in the office early. His mind had worked overtime last night. He had been mulling over the conversation he’d had with Kim, one of his colleagues from the strategy group, about which team entry in the innovation contest to select for investment. He still thought the online customer service idea was the best
Customer Experience: Innovate or Die Read More »
Many organizations invest in ideas when they really should be investing in solving customer problems. The distinction may seem subtle. Of course our ideas are solutions! But if you approach innovation with a focus on identifying and relieving pain points rather than creating solution ideas, the difference in what you produce is immense. For example,
Why Customer Pain Points Provide the Roadmap to Innovation Read More »
It was the end of a long day and Kim was still in her office. She needed to make a decision on which of the innovation ideas their organization had collected in their “Road to Innovation” contest to recommend for investment. Unfortunately, there was no clear winner. As the senior strategist in the leadership
From Ideas to Pain Points to Innovation Read More »
Creating a total customer experience (TCE) that delivers delight at every touchpoint can differentiate your business from the rest of your competitors. Why? Imagine buying a sandwich from a local café that, though delicious, is delivered in a container that falls apart before you get it back to your office. Or the service people are
Why TCE is Different Read More »
I recently picked up a business book circa mid 90’s sitting on a colleague’s desk. The premise of this book was that for companies to excel, they would need to choose to focus on customer service, operations or supply chain. One of three, take your pick. The world is not so simple now, hence the choice of
What is Total Customer Experience (TCE)? Read More »