How do you partner with other sectors for customer experience innovation?

Before seeking a partner, it's vital to have a clear understanding of your innovation goals. What experiences are you seeking to enhance? What problems are you passionate about solving? It’s not enough to look for opportunities to innovate; we must fall in love with the problem. By developing a profound understanding of the issues, we can create a heart-centered approach that meets customers’ genuine needs. Around 84% of companies that focus on improving customer experience report an increase in revenue.

I always like to drive innovation having clear elements such as: - what is being improved - why are you introducing such initiative - how are you planning to bring it to life - who will be involved

What is the benefit? how does your organization benefit from the collaboration? What is in it for the other group? Knowing the goals for both organizations and the potential gains helps to set expectations

It is also important to set timelines and guidelines on the outcomes .This shall help avoid time wastage and also provide direction on the intention set .

I believe for clarity of innovation and great customer experience. We should have the below 3 points well sorted, as they set the base and the structure of your approach going forward, also it sets the pitch and a platform to discuss, where we can provide better customers experience. 3 points are as follows; 1) What was there IT infrastructure in the past 2) How much they have changed in present and how are they accomodating change in present scenario 3) What are there plans for the future expansion keeping in point what are pain area and a plan for evolution.

Locate partners who share your values and can bring unique insights or technologies to the table. They must resonate with your mission and be willing to contribute towards a common goal. Whether it’s a tech company, an academic institution, or a social enterprise, finding the right partners is about identifying your 'Dragon Swarm,' those who can breathe fire into your innovation. Collaborative efforts can reduce time to market by up to 30%.

Ideal partner would be 1. ISVs for marketing your product. 2. Third party marketing tools to market your business. 3. Have FOEs or FOS for field works and manage operations. 4. Great research and market analysis partner.

Partners should have strengths that complement your weaknesses, just as your group should be able to fill the gaps of the partners. Find areas that most need growth, and find a partner that has that as a core strength. The benefit should be for all partners, as equally as possible

Remember that successful cross-sector partnerships require clear communication, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. By combining the strengths of different industries, you can create customer experiences that stand out and drive long-term value.

Finding the right partners is akin to mastering a complex data puzzle. The confluence of multiple sectors, be it tech, design, or research, can greatly enhance the richness of our customer solutions. Diverse perspectives infuse fresh life into projects, much like blending varied data streams in visualization. Networking, both online and offline, acts as a crucial funnel to sieve out these partners. Just remember, synergy in goals is the fulcrum of successful collaboration. Let's harness the collective expertise!

Once potential partners have been pinpointed, the next imperative step involves crafting a collaborative framework that precisely outlines the roles, responsibilities, expectations, and limits for each participating entity. This strategic approach serves as a preemptive measure against conflicts, misinterpretations, and operational bottlenecks, thereby paving the way for a cooperative and fruitful partnership. Unified Vision and Mission: Forging a shared vision and mission serves as a compass, ensuring that all parties are synchronized in their purpose and direction.

Creating a collaboration framework involves defining roles, responsibilities, and setting guidelines that reflect honesty, transparency, integrity, and loyalty. It's about setting up a structure that's flexible enough to encourage creativity but robust enough to align with the overall objectives. This means taking leadership and ensuring that the collaboration is grounded in empathy, trust, and transparency.

Proper engagement starts with the framework, this is the foundation. Know the goals, benchmarks, responsibilities, timelines, and how to resolve crises. Good planning will normally improve the product.

The collaboration network should also include the customers. Brainstorming and co-creating with customers is key to make the product/service successful

In the world of data, structure is paramount; similarly, a well-defined collaboration framework is the "data architecture" for partnerships. Just as we wouldn't delve into analysis without clear parameters, diving into collaborations without clear boundaries and roles is a recipe for chaos. It's like setting up a dashboard: clarity in vision, communication channels, and milestones are the key visuals that drive the story forward. Ensuring all parties are on the same page is essential for synergistic success.

Co-creation is the heart and soul of customer experience innovation. It’s where you, together with your partners, brainstorm, design, and implement solutions that surprise, value, and care for the customer. This is where design thinking shines, offering a structured yet heart-centered approach to innovation. By fostering a bias towards action, collaboration here ensures that the solution is crafted with the customers' human experience in mind.

The joint nature of collaboration means that creation, research, delivery, and benefits must be shared, the partnership should grow as each benchmark is reached, the returns start to be appreciated, and goals become reality. The success of the project needs to be publicized and celebrated.

customer experience is a collective responsibility of all department in an organization. Where all of them depend on each other to perform their responsibilities within the shortest time possible to be able to put a smile on a customer. No single organization department or an employee of any department for that matter can be seen as an island. When it comes to customer experience, greater cooperation is required from all. In order to meet the expectations of generation Z, organizations need to leverage on technology in their service delivery. Generation Z, are synonymous with technology and whoever, exploits this space in invention of new apps that makes services delivery faster, will give others a run for their money.

I found that the timing and the way to engage the teams from other sectors are two crucial factors to secure successful outcomes of the aspired value. The earlier the engagement is definitely better and being genuine and clear in communicating how essential and valuable each and every opionion and idea from all teams and all sectors, help building positive engagement and sense of belonging to one team, one goal. This supports building trust between the teams and boosts breaking-silos cross-departments during the co-design and co-drivery in later stages.

The process does not end with implementation. Continuously evaluate your collaborative efforts against the set innovation goals. What worked well? What could be improved? Sharing these insights ensures ongoing growth. And don't forget to celebrate success. Acknowledging and rewarding collective efforts fosters a culture of collaboration, where partners are eager to take on the next challenge, together.

There is no 'final step' very few projects ever end at implementation, as reviewing the lessons learned, skills gained and impact on client satisfaction will give birth to the next level of growth. Most projects are part of a series of steps, building on both success and failure

Discuss and align upfront with partners on the acceptable minimum and maximum value and performance levels within the partnerships. Agree upfront on exit criteria and conditions to prevent experience disruption; options may include: renegotiation, scope and/or contribution adjustments, additional partnerships

Evaluating success is much like analyzing data: it requires a clear lens to assess outcomes against initial targets. Celebrating achievements is akin to visualizing these results, giving them life and resonance. Gathering feedback is our "data collection", providing invaluable insights for recalibration. The strengths and weaknesses identified are our "trends", and every decision post-evaluation is a strategic pivot. Remember, in both data and collaborations, it's the iterative process that refines and perfects.

At times we get our entire focus on the day to day work and how to support the teams keep moving forward while continuously looking into how to improve along the way. While this is one of the essence of enabling dynamic and high performance teams cross-sectors, it's yet as essential for the leaders to celebrate small wins along the way. Not only this helps create positive energy and assuring the teams that their work is being acknowledged and appreciated, but I find these celebrations as an excellent opportunities to reflect on the reasons that led to such wins, clearly identify them in co-sharungs cross teams and hence build references for Success Paths that could be source of inspiration for the entire team.

Customer experience innovation is a journey that cannot be traveled alone. By identifying goals, finding ideal partners, establishing a framework, co-creating value, and evaluating success, you can create a dance of sectors that transforms the customer journey.

Data storytelling is more than presenting figures; it's about weaving numbers into narratives that resonate. Philosophy and science echo a powerful notion: pure, unadulterated facts cannot be known. From Kant showing interaction between subject and object as the only real knowledge, to modern quantum mechanics, where observation alters the observed, we're constantly reminded of the mutable nature of 'truth'. In this context, raw data, while seeming objective, carries its own biases and interpretations. Crafting a data narrative, then, is not about bending figures to our will but understanding their context and presenting them responsibly.