As connected, smart products become a tad more ubiquitous; we’re witnessing the demise of the conventional value chain, in which there is an intelligible beginning (product design) and an end (when it’s sold to consumers). In his customer experience eBook, Jaakko Männistö offers insight into how firms must adapt to stay competitive and relevant in the connected, fast-changing new world of today.
Amid this new reality, hardware-centric, conventional products are becoming containers for AI and software features. And enterprises are shifting their focus to become more collaborative, adaptive, and responsive while developing and constantly updating a compelling user experience.
Industry Shifts
Here are certain trends that are shaping the path forward for a lot of businesses:
§ The conventional features that have historically served to differentiate devices have become slightly less important to users, who are more focused on outcomes and comprehensive experiences.
§ Formerly insular products are now transforming into connected platforms, complemented by other technology components/services.
§ The main business model is shifting from a transactional product sales to an “as-a-service,” recurring model.
§ The inner workings and behavior of products have shifted from mechanical functions to AI and software control.
§ Production of connected, smart products has changed from a linear value chain to looped iterations in manufacturing and agile processes.
6 Tips for Building a Customer Experience Strategy
Due to the industry shifts mentioned above, large firms are creating customer experience roadmaps along with conventional product feature roadmaps to plot the improvement and evolution of the customer experience over time. Consider the following steps:
§ Spur software development and new applications by participating in open source communities.
§ Increase the number of interactions and users throughout your ecosystem by transitioning products into platforms.
§ Keep hardware engineering in focus. While differentiation puts more ownership on software, successful hardware engineers will use adaptive, new, high-tech fabrics and materials, learn more skills using 3D printing, and have a deeper appreciation and understanding of data for both hardware and software.
§ Think through the endpoint and point of view of the customers and deploy as-a-service models that offer users more control over their outcomes, and firms more predictable revenue streams.
§ Implement security protection and data privacy by partnering to gain the expertise you need.
§ Manage constant change by enabling a remote workforce. For example, Apple and other firms have witnessed great success in their remote product development and collaboration.
Are You Ready for Forever Beta-Mode?
Industries are constantly changing and the businesses that thrive and survive will be those that can adapt their business models and products to meet new demands. Since long, always-on connected functionality was once perceived as a good feature. However, products are now in forever beta-mode. Customer expectations have become higher, and businesses must respond to changing customer expectations and demands in real-time.