INTEGRATED CUSTOMER-CENTRIC INNOVATION
This methodical yet flexible process ensures that every step, from initial mapping to final prototyping, is geared towards creating value for both businesses and their customers, fostering a culture of continuous innovation and customer-centricity.
Customer Jobs
Mapping
The Integrated Customer-Centric Innovation (ICCI) process is a holistic journey towards uncovering and addressing the genuine needs of your customers. It begins with Customer Jobs Mapping, a precise technique that dives deep into understanding what your customers truly need, utilizing direct insights to chart out their requirements. This targeted mapping ensures that every innovation is rooted in real-world applicability and customer desire.
Innovation Opportunity Matrix
Following this, the Innovation Opportunity Matrix comes into play. This tool sharpens our focus, pinpointing the areas where innovation can have the most significant impact. By assessing the importance and frequency of customer jobs, it identifies where strategic efforts will yield the most value, guiding resources to where they can make a real difference.
Solution Ideation and Prototyping
The final leap in this journey is Solution Ideation and Prototyping. Here, the insights and opportunities previously identified are transformed into tangible solutions. Through a collaborative design approach, ideas are rapidly developed and prototyped, ensuring that the resulting products or services are not only innovative but also perfectly aligned with customer needs.
CASE STUDY: INNOVATION TACKLING
LOW-COST COMPETITORS
Challenge
Faced with intense competition from low-cost alternatives, the client, a manufacturer of premium security gates, struggled to maintain market share. The primary hurdle was the high upfront cost of their products, despite superior quality and longevity.
Taking a customer-centric approach.
Customer Jobs Mapping
Through workshops and customer surveys, we uncovered that while customers valued the quality and reliability of the client’s security gates, the significant initial investment was a major barrier. The client’s systems where a premium product with a corresponding price. The job customers needed to be done was securing their premises without incurring hefty upfront costs.
Discovery sessions and customer research uncovered that the premium quality of the client’s product did not sufficiently extend to a value perception aligned with the higher cost.
Innovation Opportunity Matrix
Analysis revealed a high-value opportunity in rethinking the pricing model to align with customer financial constraints while maintaining product quality. This insight directed our innovation efforts towards a sustainable, customer-friendly solution. A second insight was the opportunity to bundle regular scheduled maintenance, previously an additional on-demand cost. Third, we could consider the sustainability drive of the client by lowering waste units.
Solution Ideation and Prototyping
We ideated a subscription-based pricing model that distributed costs over time. This model included regular pro-active maintenance and an end-of-life take-back program, addressing cost concerns, maintenance, and environmental sustainability. Early prototypes of contract agreements and service schedules were tested with select customers for feedback.
Secondary and tertiary innovation opportunities presented themselves through the research process. Subsequently, we created a subscription bundle inclusive of maintenance and end-of-life removal, refurbishment, and recycling.
Solution
The introduction of a subscription model featuring bundling transformed the client’s value proposition. Re-framing the sales conversation from price to value. Customers now had access to high-end security solutions with manageable payments, maintenance peace of mind, and responsible disposal, aligning with their financial and ethical values.
Outcome
The client successfully differentiated its offerings, moving beyond traditional sales models to a service-oriented approach. This pivot not only countered the threat from low-cost competitors but also established the client as a leader in customer-focused innovation in their industry.
CASE STUDY: TRANSFORMING RETAIL EXPERIENCES
Challenge
A furniture retailer, recognized the need to innovate its customer experience and product offerings in the face of increasing competition and changing consumer preferences. The challenge was to rejuvenate the client’s retail and online presence to meet evolving customer expectations, particularly focusing on the ease of selecting and purchasing furniture that perfectly fits their spaces and lifestyles.
Considering the customer jobs.
Customer Jobs Mapping
Conducted thorough in-depth interviews, surveys, and observational studies to uncover the specific ‘jobs’ customers were hiring the client to do. Key insights revealed customers sought not just furniture but solutions that would maximize their living spaces, enhance comfort, and express their personal style.
Reimagining the customer journey and touchpoints.
Innovation Opportunity Matrix
Utilizing the insights gathered, we categorized customer jobs by frequency and importance. This analysis highlighted a significant opportunity in offering personalized furniture solutions and augmented reality (AR) to visualize furniture in customers’ homes before purchase.
Solution Ideation and Prototyping
In collaborative workshops, we ideated and prototyped several solutions. The standout concept was an AR app allowing customers to visualize how furniture would look in their homes, paired with a customization service for personalized furniture designs.
A structured methodical process sprouts
seeds of innovative opportunity.
Customer Insight Dashboard
Developed a comprehensive dashboard to continuously track customer data, insights, and feedback on the new services, ensuring an adaptive and responsive strategy.
Idea Generation Workshops
Organized sessions brought together the client’s team and selected customers, fostering a co-creation environment that led to the development of the AR app and customization service.
Results
Within six months of launching the AR app and customization service, the client reported a 35% increase in customer engagement online and a 20% uplift in store visits. The ability to visualize products in real-time and customize furniture led to a 25% growth in sales, with high customer satisfaction scores for the personalized shopping experience.
