Innovation is a key part of any organization’s strategy, but it’s not always easy to innovate on a company-wide level. It can be hard for employees to know where to start and what will actually work for their customers, especially when many companies are competing for the same customers. We’ve outlined four steps you can take that will help you create an innovative customer journey: re-evaluate your mission; revisit previous customer feedback; get in touch with your competitive edge; and study the latest technology and trends.
Re-evaluate your mission
In today’s age of data and customer-centricity, it’s no longer enough to simply say something like “to provide the best possible services for our customers.” You need a mission that aligns with your values and goals and also fits in with what customers actually want.
This can be difficult if you don’t have a clear understanding of what your customers are looking for in the first place. In order to create a better experience for them, it’s important to reflect on what they value from you as an organization—and why they value those things.
Revisit previous customer feedback
The first step in innovating your customer journey is to revisit previous customer feedback.
Customer feedback can be solicited in many ways, including in-person and online surveys, as well as through social media campaigns. If you’re looking for a more structured approach, consider A/B testing your site with different features or layouts to see what works best for your users.
Ask customers what they like about your product or service and why they chose it over other similar products on the market. This can help you determine where the most room for improvement lies within a specific area of concern (for example, if no one mentions an issue with any part of a service but several people mention an issue with something else). Ask them what they would change about your product or service—what features could be improved? How much more efficiently could something function? And ask them how you can better meet their needs by identifying any gaps between expectations and reality (for example: “I expected my order would be delivered within three days, but it took six!”).
Get in touch with your competitive edge
The first step to innovating your customer experience is to get in touch with your competitive edge. You can do this by looking at:
- Your competitors
- Your customers
- Your industry
- And even yourself.
Study the latest technology and trends
It’s not enough to just know the latest technology and trends. You need to stay on top of them in order to improve your customer journey. The first step is to create a comprehensive list of all the new software, equipment, and technology that may be useful for your business. Then look at each item on that list and ask yourself:
- What does it do?
- How will this new product/service help my customers?
- How can I use this product/service as part of my customer journey?
Engage your team in innovation conversations
If you want to innovate your customer journey, the best place to start is with your employees. Your team will have a wealth of insight into what’s working and what isn’t in each stage of the customer journey. They can also tell you what they think about your business, customers, brand and products.
You should regularly ask them these questions:
- How do we compare with other companies in our industry?
- What puts us ahead of our competitors?
- Where are we missing opportunities?
Innovation is an ongoing journey, not a one-time solution
It’s important to recognize that innovation is an ongoing journey, not a one-time solution. In fact, it can be a lot of fun and even exciting as you embark on your journey together.
Innovation is a mindset, culture and way of life. At its most basic level, innovation means thinking differently than everyone else in your industry or market space so that no one else can copy you; it’s about finding ways to create value for customers in new ways that others haven’t yet thought about (or care about).
It’s also important to note that innovation isn’t just about technology — it’s also about process improvement or culture change (for example: “How might we provide better customer support?”).
Innovation is not a one-time solution. It’s an ongoing journey that requires you to continually re-evaluate your mission, revisit previous customer feedback, get in touch with your competitive edge, study the latest technology and trends—and engage everyone on your team in these conversations.
Feel free to contact us if you need help with your customer journey!
