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Want to be REALLY disruptive? Listen to a customer.
My four favorite buzzwords of 2009? I'm glad you asked:
Disruption. Innovation. Design thinking. Social media.
They were popular this year in the press, and publishing, and business, and many (not all!) conferences, and I suppose for good reason, since a lot of people got very excited about them.
I think it's important to know the current slate of buzzwords, to demonstrate that one is Keeping Up With The Times, but beyond that it's mainly important to know what you believe and stick with it. If your core belief happens to correspond to a current buzzword, so much the better.
I'm a hedgehog who tends to say a couple of ideas again and again in whatever ordinary language I have at hand. It doesn't make headlines - for that matter, it's not news, by definition, because this stuff is OLD. Most of the good ideas out there are old.
So the ideas behind "good experience" are old, and ordinary, and full of common sense. But they're effective as all get-out.
One of my core beliefs is this: to make something good, ask someone what they need.
That is to say, ask the person you're serving what they need, as opposed to what journalists want to cover - or what bloggers want to review - or what investors want to brag that they're involved in. Ask the person you serve what they need, then listen.
In fact, we can apply this little nugget to the buzzwords of 2009.
• Want to be really disruptive? Listen to a customer. They'll tell you things that will turn your business model upside down, if you really listen.
• Want to be really innovative? Listen to a customer. Most of the companies out there would rather do anything, try anything, talk to anyone, before they actually listen to a customer. Innovation means doing something the other guys aren't doing. Listening to customers seems to fit that bill.
• Want to pursue "design thinking"? Listen to a customer. Nothing orients you toward the needs of the customer like, well, listening to a customer. (Is there a better way to do it?)
• Want to pursue social media? Listen to a customer. They'll tell you whether the Twitter account and the social media strategy are as important as fixing the basic problems in your product or service. (They'll even tell you what those basic problems are.)
I don't suppose 2010 will bring glossy magazine articles extolling the exciting high-tech process of listening to a customer, but we don't need that anyway. You have the knowledge already. Go and listen to a customer next year. You might be surprised at how much good you create.
All of those buzzwords boil down to one thing that you emphasized perfectly. Social media exists partly for your customers to be able to talk about your product and hopefully to you about your product.
I'm surprised at how many people get caught up in the excitement of actually listening to your customers. Social media simply lowers that barrier between you and your customers, so listen up and stop tweeting about that cat YouTube video you've watched 5 times on your company's twitter account!
This is a great post, but think it's important to add a distinction that listening to a customer is more than only asking what they think. I think "listening" should also include watching/observing customers use products and being able to notice how customers use products even if they can't or don't verbalize it. On the innovation side, there are some interesting theories on using "lead-user" feedback -- when users who use a product to such an extent that they adjust the product themselves, which then a company can bring back into an improved product design. Just a couple thoughts to add -- thanks for the great posts!
Amen, brother! It's hard work to really listen. May 2010 find us braver and more patient for such essential labor!
You are so right, Mark. Customers are the reason we exist as suppliers or providers. To assume that we know what our customers want without having their full input is inane. It is difficult to ask and then hear customers' critiques of our products and services without feeling just a bit defensive about our current offering, but we need to get past that and really hear what they are saying!
Happy Holidays everyone!
I agree with Morgan. Just asking is not enough, because most customers put on the spot will say "I don't know." But listening for unspoken cues in interaction or reaction are key so you actually need to be in listening mode 24/7. Try to be where your customers are to really hear the nitty gritty. This means networking events, blogs, other forums. ASking directly is strongly recommended to, but you may not always get a true answer - sort of like the feedback you get in a focus group vs. real life opinions.
Also, learn to NOT listen to customers.
Customers say they want X, when they really want Y, and think X gives them Y.
Customer A wants R, customer B wants S, R and S aren't compatible, and doing either will waste your time.
Sometimes, one shouldn't listen to (as in obey) customers. Other times, one must.
The key is knowing when to ignore what they say.
(Remember the last piece of software you used that was an ugly mess of confusing options?
The developer always listened to customers.)
This is a great lesson for everyone - no matter what business you are in, you should listen to your customers.
As the saying goes the customer is always right, right?
Speaking of buzzwords, they seem to change so fast. Social media? I am sure we were all calling it web 2.0 the year before that.
Regards,
Lee