Capturing Customer Inputs - A Summary
2008-08-28That has been the marketing mantra for the past two decades, and although great strides have been made as a result of the customer-driven movement, the voice that managers are listening to needs to be silenced in order for marketing and development to be more successful. It is no longer sufficient for managers to simply gather customer requirements. Rather, they must know precisely what types of information are needed and what types of information they are collecting in order to create a more accountable model of innovation. As in most disciplines, managers need a common language around which to discuss issues and build a shared understanding. The innovation process is no different. Knowing that jobs, outcomes, and constraints are desired inputs and that solutions, specifications, needs, and benefit statements hinder the successful execution of the innovation process gives managers a new language to consider when talking with external and internal customers. (This post is excerpted from “What Customers Want: Using Outcome-Driven Innovation to Create Breakthrough Products and Services” by Anthony Ulwick.)
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