I don't know what I want...Give it to me anyway.

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” - Henry Ford

I have heard this quote countless times and several of those were from people trying to prove the point: you don’t need to listen to customers; they’ll steer you wrong.  If customers can’t tell us what they want, we should invest our valuable resources elsewhere. That could seem to be a logical conclusion, if there wasn’t a vital missing link. 

We listen to customers to understand their needs and expectations.  As innovators how we fulfill those needs and provide what they want is up to our creativity and imagination. 

Missing Link

What's the missing link between what Customers Need and what Customers Want?  Innovation.

Customer Needs + Innovation = Customer Wants

What if our customers only tell us what they think they want and not what they actually need?

Henry Ford would have valuable feedback if prospective customers had said faster horses. Maybe wanting faster horses wasn’t the ultimate answer, but there was value in that feedback. They needed something faster.  Now that the need is defined, start innovating!

Let’s use the Henry Ford quote as an exercise to get the creative-energy activated. Try this exercise with your team. What if Henry Ford’s prospective customers had wanted any of the following types of horses?  Hypothesize the hidden need in the want being conveyed. Have fun with it! 

• Shorter Legs
• Longer Back/Torso
• Lighter Coat Color
• Wider Back/Torso
• Stronger Legs
• Greater Longevity
• Healthier Overall
• Longer Mane/Tail

Listening is Forever

It’s important to have mechanisms in place to listen for customer wants, needs, and expectations. They are ever-changing at different times and paces for each customer type and segment.

Many companies have found a comfortable cadence listening to customers with surveys at 1-2 interaction points in a customer’s overall experience (example: post-purchase & post-customer service). This is a great place to start.  Other rich sources of information and feedback about customer wants, needs, and expectations:

• Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
• Customer Advisory Boards / Executive Sponsors
• User Groups / Panels
• Targeted Survey to validate hypotheses
• Internal Account Teams & Internal Industry Leads

 Get Validated

If you build it, they may not buy it. It’s important to test out assumptions along the way.  Validation is important:

• As you hear customer wants and form hypothesis about what they need, validate your assumptions.
• Continue to seek feedback as you innovate product and service ideas.

Revisit your resources including: Advisory & User Groups, Social Media, etc. for validation.

Fulfill your customers’ wants, needs, and expectations in ways they never expected with creativity and imagination -> INNOVATION.

Questions

1. How do you stay in tune with your customers’ needs and expectations?
2. When you hear customer wants, do you look for the hidden need?
3. Do you validate your assumptions and hypotheses with users groups, advisory boards, surveys, or other?
4. Are you innovating new ways to meet customer needs and expectations?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Living in San Diego, I am the Customer Experience Practice Leader for nationwide consultancy firm Tribridge, headquartered in Tampa, FL. With a background in Sales, Product Management, CRM, and CX consulting, I am passionate about working alongside customers to transform their organizations and realize their unique CX goals. Connect with me on LinkedIn or join me on Twitter @JessicaJNoble.