Innovation is not about LABORATORIES , its about Mindset.

" When you choose to be an active BLOGGER, you become a keen observer of things round you. "  John Jantsch of The Referral Engine

Yes you start observing things keenly , small but different things. Similarly small innovation is natural and originates not from laboratory or after brain storm. 

Autorickshaw in Mumbai are small lifeline and they in thousands in number. In many cities its a means of commuting for millions of people daily. There is nothing new about it. 

Newness and innovation comes when you see an autorickshaw which is a moving library cum book selling store cum social service activist. 

Yes name is Sadanand an Autodriver has converted his vehicle as library and  book store. 
He displays religious books at the back of his seat. Commuter can read the book of their choice for a free while commuting . Now if commuter likes the book he can buy the same from him immediately while finishing his commuting. Library cum book store done. 


Now if you dont want to buys even through he will give you some  religions book or pamphlet for a free i.e. social service.


Read, buy and get it for free if you don't want to buy. All these when you have nothing else to do but waiting and killing time some how.


This small innovation is interesting. Its a clue to many service providers and entrepreneurs to think of something which can add value to the customers time while dealing with your enterprise of-course over and above what is expected from your enterprise.


Autorickshaw is taking commuters from one place to other place i.e. primary expectation and everything happening in between is innovation and value addition.


Bettering customer experience requires just a mindset to offer something better, extra and
pleasantly unexpected and relevant value addition. 

Pause , Check Business Processes and  Innovation Index of the Enterprise , NOW. WOW!! can happen only then.

 

20998 Dos & Donts for Customer Centric Innovation

Well,  please don't go by the numbers , grab the meaning. Any new ideas will face somewhat similar objections or hurdles. ( In any area )

1) I have never heard of this !!!!! ( Thats why it must be done )

2) We do things this way only. ( When will u innovate )

3) New ideas will not work in this environment ,,,,, ( Let it 

be experimented )

4) Do u have proven case study??????? ( Why cant u become 

means of this be a case study? )

5) I know this better since I am doing it for years now @@@@@ ( Will doing things in new ways harm or change is for better )

6) Customers don't care   , they are just interested in low price. ( Do u have data to justify so )

7) We cant afford to connect customers in an online media initiative. Their unity is not in our interest. ( Well most large brands are doing so and reaping benefits, call is yrs )

8) We work with consultants having experience in our industry. ( New ideas need new unconditioned brains )

9) Brand means nothing more than logo, stationery , uniform and sign boards. ( Its mere 8% of the same )

10) Last word in customer care is CRM. ( Its the basic survival tool, do we not go beyond mere survival efforts ??? ) 

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20998)  We are market leader , we make huge profits, we are almost in monopoly condition. ( Check last 10 years business stories, business situation (position) , changes every 3 years - likes of Tatas, GEs , Toyotas, Googles , Facebooks and Microsofts are threatened by new incubates ) 

I might have missed many dos and donts  in between but I am sure readers will exceed my last number.

Someone has quoted "Success Immortalises the way things are done." Its not difficult to learn new things but challenge is to de-learn what is already learned. Daily most of us confront with many new ideas but our mental conditionng blocks many and most of them to touch the reality.  

If u r in a deciding position whether to implement new idea or not, let experiment with new ideas, allow the person coming with an idea to make it happen,  be willing to make him successful, have open and broad mind, have innovation and ideas brain storm a regular feature of the company. 

I always wonder why best companies to work for or customer experience surveys are not even read by rest of the companies. No copy , no inspiration, no innovation and no change.  (  caution before u change :  certain companies don't need to change at all and yet they survive successfully for generations !!!!  )

Innovation is Small - Doesn't Require Laboratory

In Mumbai Auto Rick fare has changed recently. It is now not as easy and as simple as it was earlier. So every time one commutes, at the end of the journey commuter ask driver "How Much??" or "Show me the rate card." This is normal and usual practice. I must have travelled with more than 100 instances. 

Today I saw rate card affixed on the back of driver's seat i.e. in front of the commuter. Wow!!! Simple but gr8 idea. 

What will happen??? No need to ask or show me the card kind of untrustworthy behavior from commuters. U see and pay. Thats it. Its very very simple idea but 100s odd I have travelled have not applied this. So its unusual. 

Innovations in life or Moments of Truth for the customers are simple well thought out steps executed flawlessly which will make customer's life easy and make the whole experience delightful. 

Its SIMPLE. Focus on CUSTOMERS. (Your Boss will be Happy & so is the CUSTOMER)

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