How to Support Innovation in Companies: Key Insights from the Discussion on CX/UX Innovations
At the end of September, the premises of ui42 were once again filled with experts from various fields, with whom we had a great breakfast and discussed the topic of "CX innovations."
Innovation is an essential part of modern business, but its implementation often faces many obstacles. At our CX breakfast on innovations in CX/UX, discussions were held on how companies can better manage innovation processes, engage stakeholders, and overcome challenges on the road to success. Here are some key insights:
1. Change of mindset is fundamental
For successful innovations, a change in mindset is crucial not only for employees but also for management. Innovation doesn't always have to be revolutionary – sometimes optimization or streamlining of existing processes is enough. For example, improvements that are common abroad may be considered innovative here.
2. Stakeholders and open mind
In many companies, innovations are hindered due to stakeholders' preconceived notions of "how it should look." This approach suppresses the open discovery process, which is key to innovation. Maintaining an open mind and involving stakeholders in the discovery process allows for a better understanding of the real needs of customers.
3. Agility and testing
Rapid implementation and testing of innovations on smaller projects is an effective way to minimize risk and find functional solutions. Some companies, like O2, introduce innovative ideas first on smaller brands (e.g., Radosť) to test their viability.
4. Internal clients are important
Innovations don't have to concern only customers but also internal processes and employees. Optimization of work procedures or agile transformation can lead to improved efficiency and satisfaction of internal clients.
5. Obstacles and legislation
Innovations often encounter obstacles in the form of legislation or internal regulations. An example is pharmacies that cannot deliver medicines directly to customers without courier authorization. Solving such problems requires collaboration between departments and finding alternative solutions.
6. Try and understand
If you want to convince stakeholders of the need for innovation, it is important that they see for themselves what problems exist. A great example is when stakeholders had to fill out a complicated social assistance form themselves and realized what a big problem it poses for ordinary people.
What should you take away from this? Prioritizing innovations should be based on alignment with the company's vision, goals, and data. Not every innovation is financially successful, and that's okay, but if it brings joy and improvement to customers, it can still be valuable. Companies should view innovations not only as a commitment to customers but also as an opportunity for continuous improvement of internal processes. Innovations = investments.
Experts' opinion on CX breakfast:
"I really enjoyed the breakfast. It set up an informal and relaxed discussion among people from different sectors and positions, where the emphasis was on sharing rather than evaluating or comparing. I found it very inspiring, collaborative, and encouraging in that we all face similar challenges to some extent."
"In retrospect, I'm not sure if we managed to discuss the topic set in depth, and we spent a lot of time (logically) on the problems we are dealing with. I see it as a natural part of the process, and it is probably logically correct to continue the discussion to work towards some further inspirations. I would be very happy to be part of it if my participation makes sense to you."
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