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Showing posts from August, 2010

VALUE YOUR FRONTLINE EMPLOYEES

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More than 80% of our   (Western) economies is based upon services. However, most tools, processes, research and business models are still based upon products and manufacturing know-how. This creates tension, especially on the work floor. In the case of services, the person who delivers the service is in essence the service. Indeed, a human being and not a machine or a part. Human beings can and would like to think for themselves, they would like to grow, have meaningful work and feel engaged. Who are these frontline employees in service jobs? They are food service workers, nurses’ aides, janitors, home healthcare workers, waiters, cashiers, receptionists, rental-car agents etc. 45% of all jobs are these routine service jobs. We have to make these service jobs even more innovative, more productive, and higher paying. This is beneficial for them as well as for the business. Employees who are enthusiastic, engaged, and fulfilled are also happy. This lowers the use of the healthcare

SALES & SERVICE GO HAND IN HAND

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Last week I had to buy a new TV, so I went to several stores for orientation. I am not up to date on the latest technologies in that industry, though. And that is what happened, I was bombarded with jargon out of that world (LED, LCD, HD, 50 Hz, 100 Hz, 32 inch, 40 inch, digital subscriptions etc). In one shop they only explained about the TV, which was on sale, and where I was just standing as the salesrepr approached. He made no other suggestions or explanations. In the second shop, I did get an excellent technical explanation of the possibilities. The best, however, was a demo of one 50Hz TV which was placed next to a 100 Hz TV. In that way I could really see the difference in quality. What surprised me most is that no salesrepr actually asked what kind of a TV viewer I was. In other words what my needs were. So, no questions, as to how many hours I watch TV, whether I watch DVD’s with surround sound, how many people does my family consists of, whether I want to connect my stere

PUTTING INNOVATION IN PERSPECTIVE

That is what Richard Florida does in his latest book ‘The Great Reset’. I would say that this book is a must read for every innovator. We know that for every creative process, the following steps are necessary: What is the end result? What is the current reality? What are the action steps? Florida gives us a perspective on all these steps, both eco no mically and from a society’s point of view. Below I have listed some inspirational thoughts: -        Great resets bring about shifts in consumption that fuel rising industries. -        The places that thrive today are those with the highest velocity of ideas, the highest density of talented and creative people, and the highest rate of metabolism. -        The jostling of many different professions and different types of people, all in a dense environment, is essential to the creation of things that are truly new. -        Local cultural and social life determines who gets the talent. -        It is that the old world will ine

SERVICES ARE HOT

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In a great article from W.P. Carey’s Center for Services Leadership called “Making Services a   Science – new study finds great interest – and great confusion ( http://bit.ly/dmdAgy )” the need for service innovation is being recognized. ‘...... more companies than ever are interested in services innovation -- the creation of "transformative" services. More companies than ever are interested in smart services design. More companies than ever are interested in creating service-centric cultures, in leveraging technology to boost services and in creating consistency of service across geographies.’ I am inclined to say ‘finally’, but there is a right time for everything. It is good that more and more companies (and also governments) see the need to add services to their portfolio. And it is also very good that they understand that service business is fundamentally different from product business. In essence, service business is people business, it is a human being who deli