Even though businesses were forced to react, leaders at every level still need to be focused on outcomes, to engage and excite others with their ideas and a renewed 'big picture'. It remains true that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. We didn’t choose to be where we are, but the times demand creativity and bring with them an opportunity to rethink. Teams need to be refocussed on value. Your business is most likely to succeed even thrive if you take the time to understand how all of this has changed your customers.
Although every business is different, all are affected. When we speak to our clients, it feels like they’re wrestling with three interwoven challenges:
Many businesses have been unable to operate while others have but with short term, protective measures in place. Now the urgency has become the economy, effort shifts to restarting services, rekindling relationships and moving from emergency measures into and through phases of unlocking. With time, reactive measures can be designed-in to a more seamless experience.
Accessibly, personalisation, friendliness and hyper-convenience have been the driving forces behind service and customer experience design. What now? Reconfigure services, so customers and frontline colleagues are safe and feel safe. New processes and mandated procedures need to be thoughtfully designed-in to customer journeys, and new expectations set. There’s a balance to be struck between visible safety and triggers of anxiety while maintaining an experience that’s positive overall. If service reliability remains impacted, this will need to be managed with customers too.
One response to tough times is to strive to build something even better than what came before. Is there a rethink or a pivot here? Is there a way to help people prosper by looking differently at what you have? Businesses in sectors that have been upended are now beginning to reimagine their service and operating model to accommodate a new commercial reality. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to imagine a more sustainable, resilient, ‘pandemic proof’ business.
The central truth is that subtly or dramatically, your customers have changed. Personal and practical responses to the realities of Covid-19 are shaping how all of us use services, what we need and expect. Social distancing, other measures and people’s responses to them have already changed the rules of business and in turn, have important implications for service design and customer experience.
We've developed a set of practical tools to help you work through your businesses needs and priorities - be those of today or tomorrow. We'll guide you through dynamic and collaborative sessions supported by our creative team to develop ways you can actively respond to challenges and create new opportunities.