We Have a Tremendous Opportunity

As businesses, we have a tremendous opportunity—not just to solve customers’ problems but to do something equally important: delight them with our products and services. How can we achieve this? By focusing on one of our most important assets: the customer.

Every company’s leadership claims to focus on customers. But what sets the most customer-oriented companies apart, those that deliver exceptional experiences? They are better listeners.

They start by gathering anonymous quantitative data that reveals how people use their products and services. Usage data highlights which features deliver the most value and which need improvement because they fail to solve real problems or meet other needs. These leaders also engage in qualitative listening. They talk to customers through focus groups, observe them using their products, or communicate directly in other ways—allowing company teams to enrich quantitative data with firsthand insights.

They monitor all digital and physical customer touchpoints—sales, marketing, customer service, and even social media interactions. By examining every interaction a company has with its customers, they identify opportunities for satisfaction or disappointment. From there, they can laser-focus on ensuring every future experience is exceptional.

Listen and Innovate

Regardless of what your company does, you should listen to your customers’ problems, aspirations, unique preferences, and needs. Then, use these insights to think creatively about how to address them.

In design-driven cultures, product managers, engineers, testers, senior executives, marketers, salespeople, support representatives, copywriters, designers, and user researchers come together with a shared goal: to better meet customer needs.

Stand Out by Listening

Companies that listen to their customers and delight them in the process stand out in significant ways, outperforming their competition today and in the future.