[Service design] - What makes a customer really happy?

Listen to customers

An easy but very powerful key question in commercial innovation. What you really want to know about your (potential)customers…

What makes a customer really happy?

[Commercial innovation] Happy Customers

Nowadays, value propositions, segmentation and market approaches based on customer / buyer journeys and personae, are an integral part of modern commercial policy. But is this enough to make a competitive difference?

Sometimes companies forget to focus on the main DRIVER and main reason for commercial innovation initiatives. ‘What makes a customer really happy?’ is the underlying core question to gain in-depth insights into the customer's needs and wishes, their motives and emotional involvement, from the development of new services, from their commercialization, and from the daily realization of these services.

In summary, we can say that it is the personal context related to the the underlying question of what makes a customer really happy, that is more determining than only the technical writing of personae, journeys and value propositions.

If we are able to develop an 'iterative approach' to be in permanent contact with customers and prospects, to understand their real (emotional) challenges, to relate their personal context to our solutions and innovations, to transfer it optimally to the daily operational activities, then we create added value. ‘What makes the customer really happy?”, is the core question that every employee should ask him-/herself permanently.

Developing new services, products or even new customer approaches, without a clear answer to this key core question doesn't solve anything. In many companies, marketing teams, design teams and R & D teams are working on the (commercial) innovations of the future, but at a great distance from the end user / customer.

Therefore these 5 tips

Learn from ‘them’, co-create and test together

Learn about 'them': learn and experience the customer in real life and their personal context, and not only from desk research. Test and co-create with customers at all stages of innovation and even during the roll out. Learn about the actual impact of competition on your customers and prospects.

Involve marketing and sales from the start: they know the customers in a different way and have access to them. By involving them actively from the start, it will become also easier for them to sell or market these new services and products afterwards. They will better understand what the added value for the customer will be.

Involve marketing and sales from the beginning

In-depth interviews

Create a system of  Learning Cycles: make use of short learning cycles with internal and external customers as important test. Adjust quickly in the learning process after interaction with and  feedback of the customers. Build, measure, learn, build further!

Quality of ideas * execution = value

Understand happiness: learn how to work with in-depth interviews, panels or focus groups in all phases of the development / commercial innovation. Go to the bottom to understand in detail what 'Happy' really means and how this can be reached during the customer journey towards happiness.

Learning cycles

Don't forget

'The Quality of ideas * Execution = Value' The world’s simplest formula… explains why you can’t forget commercialization. Develop and test therefore The Most Valuable Commercial Approach.