You're tasked with advancing Product R&D. How do you balance innovation with customer satisfaction?

Quando si fa innovazione, quasi sempre il cliente è soddisfatto. I nostri mercati sono così saturi e succubi di tanta standardizzazione dei prodotti (salvo rare eccezioni), che ogni volta che viene lanciato qualcosa di nuovo, l'attenzione del cliente si riaccende. L'importante è non esagerare, l'innovazione deve essere progressiva, altrimenti non viene gradita perché c'è il timore che non sia compresa. E a quel punto nessuno si assume il rischio. Altro punto da considerare è che bisogna essere pronti con l'offerta, nel caso la domanda esploda. Questo succede non così di rado, il rischio è di non essere pronti se l'innovazione fa esplodere le richieste perché il nuovo prodotto è assolutamente vincente.

The North Star for any product offering should be "Value". While the degree of "Value" varies between products (or services), that determines how deeply rooted the product department/company is to deliver the desired or an elevated "Experience". Innovation should always be related to the "value" provided to the end customer and their overall goal. This is key to Customer Satisfaction. When there's "Value" delivered, CSAT is almost always +ve.

Una manera muy efectiva de recopilar información es a través del focus group. De esta manera se identifican diferentes datos, lo que le funciona, no le sirve, lo que le gusta y lo que le encanta.

Understanding customer needs is the cornerstone of successful product development, ensuring that innovations are meaningful and relevant. Conducting market research, engaging in direct customer interactions, analysing their feedback, identifying and prioritising their needs, conducting testing, and leveraging available data tools to provide scientific/data-driven insight about the feature or the overall product to the user. Maintaining a continuous dialogue gives valuable insights into what customers truly value and builds stronger relationships and trust. This approach ensures that your innovation efforts are consistently guided by real customer needs, making products more likely to delight and satisfy your users.

In my opinion, what we require to convince customers is QUALITY. Every document that demonstrates our product passed the quality audits and assessments could be critical. If the products are built based on standards, it guarantees the product quality and ensures the customers to purchase it.

embracing an agile approach to Product R&D can be a game-changer for organizations aiming to stay competitive and innovative. Here’s why adopting an agile approach is crucial for modern product development: 1.Flexibility and Adaptability 2.Enhanced Collaboration 3.Customer-Centric Approach 4.Continuous Improvement By prioritizing flexibility, rapid iteration, and user feedback, businesses can stay ahead in today's competitive landscape.

This better be part of the agile approach ... If you don't do this, multiply the number of sprints required by Pi squared. Having a knowledge and a risk tool box (maybe somebody with experience from the trade) will definitely help.

In chemical industry, after development of a product upon a customer request, we usually provide a sample to be tested by the customer. Then, if it is not exactly align with the customer needs, we provide further optimization. This cycle will continue until reaching the ideal outcomes.

1. Customer Feedback Loop: Establish a continuous feedback loop with customers to understand their needs, pain points, and expectations. 2. Risk-Reward Assessment: Conduct a thorough risk-reward assessment for each innovation project, considering factors like market demand, competition, and potential ROI. 3. Phased Rollout: Roll out new features or products in phases, starting with a small pilot group to test and refine before wider deployment. 4. Change Management: Develop a change management plan to communicate and train customers on new features or products, minimizing disruption. 5. Incremental Innovation Pipeline: Maintain a pipeline of incremental innovations to ensure a steady stream of improvements to existing products.