I think of Businesses as âmanifestation machinesâ.
Or as a force that multiplies human potential.
I think that the moment when for the first time someone feels that little Spark inside them and decides to build a business… itâs pure magic
Itâs the moment when a entrepreneur is created.
This moment creates a ripple effect over time that can change entire communities… and maybe even the world.
Creating jobs is just the start.
Which then generates waves of opportunities.
The paychecks improve lives of entire families.. funds healthcare, education, homes, vacations… better future.
Their taxes support community improvement… creates space for ideas and innovation..
The money they spend in turn supports and helps grow other Businesses.
And the whole cycle repeats.
Itâs like the cycle of life â and it never ceases to amaze me every time I think about it…
And so..
At ConvergeHub we salute the Spirit of Entrepreneurs
We salute the blood, sweat and tears that go in to build a Business.
And we have made it our mission to help Businesses become successful.
So that they can do what Businesses do â create jobs, create wealth and change lives..
And change the world while they are at it.
If you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you build systems that help your organization grow faster and have bigger impact, talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
We know that Business-as-usual does not work anymore. So, what can we do about it?
In a world where Disruption has become normal, how do we prepare for it?
How do we prepare to be DISRUPTED?
By building dynamic systems that donât avoid uncertainty but actually expect them and are prepared for them.
The key is in not putting our head down and waiting for the turbulence to pass, but instead expecting the turbulence, treating it as normal and developing the necessary skills so that we can forge ahead despite the turbulence.
Corporate systems and processes are usually built around:
Analyzing…
Predicting…
Planning…
Controlling…
Such systems worked very well in stable times, like navigating a big ship in good weather.
In todayâs environment, organizations are like rafts in white water.
The systems and skills we need to navigate are completely different.
Using old Systems and Skills we will not be able to keep our head above water, let alone reaching our destination.
The first thing we need to get rid of is the sense of control.
We need to accept that we cannot predict the future at all.
Therefore, we cannot plan for it.
Instead, we learn the skills to respond quickly to any change that happens, knowing fully well that change will happen.
What we need is the resilience to remain undisturbed by change.
And the agility to adapt and respond quickly to change.
Here are some principles that will help us build dynamic systems and be more prepared to deal with disruptions:
Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you build systems that help your organization get ready for future disruptions without increasing the cost,talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
2020 turned our world upside down. In the beginning of that year, many businesses expected some technological and economic upheaval and had started planning for it. But what happened in the coming months caught everyone by surprise.
And when business leaders caught their breath… and looked around…
The business world had turned upside down…
Business-as-usual didnât work any longer…
Covid made it very very clear that businesses cannot work in silo… all businesses are a part of the large eco-system… and no organization can remain âun-disruptedâ by the changes happening around them.
Looking around us now, we know that 2020 wasnât an exception.
The world is becoming more dynamic by nature…
Change is becoming the name of the game…
Disruption is becoming the norm…
How do we prepare for this??
I think the only way for businesses to be prepared for systemic disruptions is to become dynamic organizations.
So far, the corporate name of the game has been to build systems that focus on…
Analyzing…
Predicting…
Planning…
Controlling…
These systems have worked very well in the past.
I doubt they will work so well in the future.
Systems that help navigate a big ship in good weather are VERY DIFFERENT from the systems you need to navigate a raft in white water.
They just donât work in the same way.
What kind of mindset should we adopt?
What do YOU think?
Iâll talk more about it in my next post đ
Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you build systems that help your organization get ready for future disruptions without increasing the cost, talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
When you talk about the quality of your product or service, what comes to mind? Usually, we tend to think about product engineering or manufacturing processes or skills of the person delivering the service… rarely do we think about customer service…
But, for almost all types of businesses, Quality and Customer Service are very closely linked.
The greater the attention to Quality in production, the better the product performance after sales.
The greater the product performance, the lower the demand on customer service operations to correct any problems.
In my last post, one of the questions I had posed was â How important is Quality after the sale?
One of the comments I received on LinkedIn (shoutout to Erik Gross) said:
âI think that the quality of your delivery after the sale is probably the most important area to concentrate on – if you consistently deliver more than was expected, your prosperity is assured.â
And I couldnât agree more!
I think Quality processes form a connection between Sales and Service teams, which when done correctly can be converted into a huge competitive advantage for any business.
Here are a few use cases:
So, if your focus on Quality has taken a hit, in an effort to lower costs, especially after the massive layoffs this year, it may be worth taking another look at it.
Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you improve the Quality of the products and services in your organization without increasing the cost, talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
Have you noticed that the perception of Quality is changing?
In fact, studies indicate that there is often a big gap between what organization executives view as âgood qualityâ of their products and what their customers think.
This gap in perception of product quality is not new.
More than 40 years ago, in a Gallup survey carried out in 1981 (source: Wall Street Journal), only 13% of the CEOs of the nationâs largest 1300 companies said that quality is declining. In the same year, in a separate study of 7000 consumers, 49% said that it has declined and 59% expected it to stay down or decline further.
Fast forward four decades and nothing seems to have changed đ
This gap in perception of Quality between company executives who are in charge of driving product engineering and quality and the users of the product show that in most organizations the concept of Quality is production-driven and not customer-driven.
For organizations looking to improve the Quality of their products or services and making it more customer-centric, there are two basic questions to be asked:
How does a customer define Quality?
Quality could mean different things to different customers â design, reliability, durability, ease of use, user experience, value for money, and so on.
Perception of Quality also changes as customers go through the different stages of the customer journey.
Before the purchase, Quality can mean…
the companyâs brand and image
productâs reputation
published comparative test results
opinion of friends
At the point of purchase, the meaning of Quality can be…
manuals and specs
user experience during sales
price to performance value
terms of the contract and warranties
After the purchase, the meaning of Quality can change to…
ease of setup process
usability
reliability
effectiveness of customer service
comparative performance.
Once a company understands what their customers are looking for when they ask for âgood qualityâ, they are in a much better position to provide it.
Letâs discuss the second question in my next post… đ
Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you improve the Quality of the products and services in your organization without increasing the cost, talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
If you are a leader in your organization, itâs easy to assume that people look to you for answers… that you should have all the answers… and having all the answers is the only way to build peopleâs trust in your competence.
But in this day and age, when the world is changing so fast and so much is uncertain⌠having all the answers is absolutely impossible⌠and pretending do so fools no one and completely erodes trust…
I think in todayâs world it is not necessary for leaders to have all the answers.
Instead, it is necessary for leaders to ask great questions.
Leaders today should ask bold inspiring questions.
Then convey that they donât have all the answers.
And ask for help to find the right answers.
Asking these kinds of questions means admitting that you donât know everything.
And that can make you feel vulnerable.
But that is exactly what makes people trust you and connect with you.
If done right, this can spark innovative thinking within the organization.
So, what makes a great question?
Well, thatâs a great question đ
Here are some characteristics of great questions:
If you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you drive innovation in your organization by tracking the right data and asking the right questions, talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
How does innovation work in your company? Is there a set budget for it? Are there guidelines and projects and status meetings around it? How about results?
If your organization has spent a mini fortune on innovation and has seen zero results… well, you are not alone.
Across industries, one survey after another has found the same thing: Despite all their spending on innovation, businesses just arenât getting the impact they want.
Why?
Itâs mostly because every organization has certain day-to-day routines. And usually, these small routines and rituals stifle innovation.
This is a major challenge in most organizations, and BEANs are one way to hack this problem.
Whatâs a BEAN?
According to the Harvard Business Review article âBreaking Down the Barriers to Innovationâ, a BEAN is shorthand for behavior enablers, artifacts, and nudges.
Basically, BEANs are tools, processes and interventions that help people change their behavior and reinforce new behaviors.
So, if your organization is struggling with innovation, change or digital transformation, try creating these little interventions or BEANs that will serve as constant reminders to implement the desired behavior.
Successful BEANs typically are:
In the coming weeks, we will continue discussing innovation and behaviors that encourage innovation in the organization.
Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you drive innovation in your organization without increasing the cost,talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
In my last post, we had discussed about the dilemma that most businesses have to go through at some stage of their lifecycle…
The dilemma between customer satisfaction and cost efficiency.
Spend too much… and it leads to reduced profitability.
Spend too little… and it leads to low satisfaction and the risk of customer loss.
Often this boils down to Scale vs. Service dilemma.
To grow a business needs to adopt customer service that is scalable, but that may result in losing the personal touch which is the real competitive advantage.
Although each organization needs to solve this dilemma in its own unique way, here are a few strategies that can be adopted:
If you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you get closer to your customers without increasing the cost, talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
Have you noticed that customers are getting angrier?
The world itself seems to have become more uncivil, and customers are much more dissatisfied.
That is actually putting it mildly. Customers are not just dissatisfied⌠they are plain angry.
In a recent study by Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business survey of customer rage found that last year 74% of customers said that they have experienced problems with a product or a service. And they are definitely not shy about expressing their rage.
What were their main frustrations?
In most studies the top frustration is not being able to talk to a person when they have a problem.
The second most common complaint is that they can’t find out how to contact the company.
Technically, these are not difficult problems to fix.
So, it’s easy to blame the organization.
Organizations just don’t care, right?
But there’s a flip side to the coin.
When it comes to serving customers, companies have to do a balancing act between quality of service and its cost.
Spending too much on customer service might lead to reduced profitability, especially if it doesnât lead to the customer loyalty that the business is looking for.
On the other hand, spending too little on customer service leads to low customer satisfaction and the risk of losing them in the long run.
So how do companies resolve this dilemma between customer satisfaction and cost efficiency?
Let’s talk about it in my next post.
Meanwhile, if you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you get closer to your customers without increasing the cost, talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.
Ever heard a company say that they don’t ‘put customers first’? Probably not đ
Pretty much EVERY business says that they put their customers first.
And they probably mean it.
But do you know how many people believe it?
12%
According to a HubSpot survey, only 12% of people believe company messaging that says it puts “customer first”.
So, what’s going on here?
In an age when businesses pitch jargons such as “personalization”, “1:1 customer engagementâ, “customer-centricity” to anyone willing to listen… why don’t most people believe them?
Because businesses will be able to deliver these things only if they truly listen to their customers.
Not through some half-baked survey asking the wrong questions.
Or a lame we-value-your-feedback form on the website.
For a business, listening is all about data.
Listening is the ability to capture and analyze all structured and unstructured data across all customer touchpoints.
Listening is also about training your customer-facing staff on empathy.
And taking action on what they hear.
By communicating better.
Giving out information that customers and prospects are really looking for.
Not always easy.
But without that we risk making assumptions about what our customers and prospects are looking for.
And that guessing game is dangerous for any business.
If you would like to know more about how ConvergeHub can help you communicate better with your prospects and customers, talk to us.
Or, if you would like to check it out yourself, go ahead and create a free ConvergeHub account here.