At regular intervals, it is important to revisit products and processes to course correct them to meet the changing needs of customers. The revolution of rising expectations among customers makes the introduction of new features essential to maintaining the competitive advantage.
Get the team to address the following questions and integrate the ideas into their problem analysis:
· Which requirements of the customer are not being met?
· The revolution of rising aspirations is constantly throwing up new customer needs. What are they?
· Which of those needs present the most valuable opportunities?
· Who are the customers in this category who are ignored by existing players?
· Why are they non-users today?
· How can we remove the barriers and make them users?
· How can we keep costs low?
· How can we create a more efficient system of distribution and delivery?
· How can we network to ensure efficient co-creation?
· How to make profits from the start?
Henry Ford famously said, ‘If I had listened to customers, I would have given them a faster horse’. The customer, by himself, may not know what is possible. It is only a partnership between manufacturing, marketing and customers that could help create the product for the unknown future.
Teams need to integrate what they hear with what their vision is. They need to listen to customers and to themselves synergizing the two. This is the day to discuss the customer needs with each other internally.