Best Customer Experience Practices In The Public Sector
Recent Updates Best Customer Experience Practices in the Public Sector How to build a compelling customer experience? In a rapidly-changing world where customer expectations have become higher than ever, organizations around the globe are striving to build robust relationships with customers, gain their trust and satisfaction, and offer them an added value to keep up with their continuously-rising expectations. Since customers are the focus of all improvement efforts, these efforts should be planned carefully in their interest. In this article, we will talk about the best customer experience practices, which go beyond evaluating the level of customer satisfaction after receiving a service. Actually, they involve identifying the values and benefits provided by your organization, as well as understanding your customers’ requirements, preferences, and expectations. Having a better understanding of the different needs of different customers is the first step towards planning and delivering a compelling customer experience that supports the organization’s strategic goals and objectives. Organizations’ approaches to customer experience management vary according to the sector where they operate, the values and benefits they provide, and the type of stakeholders and customers they serve. While some organizations focus on facilitating the customers’ access to services/products, boosting customer satisfaction, and improving brand image, others may focus on increasing profitability, fostering customer retention and loyalty, and expanding customer base by gaining new customers. Additionally, some organizations use customer experience approaches to create new trends, values and advantages that help them stand out from their competitors. This article focuses primarily on government agencies. Transforming service design approaches Improving customer experience is particularly important in the context of government agencies, since almost all citizens and residents (including individuals, businesses, and organizations) need to use government services at one point or another. However, customer experience approaches in government agencies are too complicated to be covered in one article. We, at ODEL’s Knowledge Library, will address this topic on ongoing basis. In this article, however, we will focus on the main features that should be taken into account by government agencies’ leaders when trying to incorporate customer experience practices in designing services/products, to reach institutional excellence. The secret to excellent customer experience practices An excellent customer experience approach is composed of 5 main components that each government leader should take into account: Assessment of the government entity’s current performance is the first step towards building a more customer-centric approach. In ODEL, we believe that these assessments should focus on clients and stakeholders. This includes analyzing and measuring the customers’ current impression about the organization, to bridge the gap between what is expected and what is really offered. There are several methodologies that can help you get a clear insight into your current performance, including ODEL’s Knowledge Methodologies which are designed for this purpose. Also, try to make connections between your current performance and customers’ perception regarding the internal operations of the organization. This can be done by evaluating the institutional capabilities, including current customer experience practices, the talents working on them, measurement and governance mechanisms, and the IT infrastructure that supports these practices (e.g. digital applications, systems, etc.). Also, for transformation efforts to be successful, organizations need to share their transformation goals with their talents to ensure a more customer-centric approach throughout the organization. This requires the establishment of a unified, organization-wide, customer-based culture. This unified vision ensures that all functions within the organization will work towards creating a smooth, seamless customer journey and experience. To enable your organization to adopt customer-centric practices, you need to develop a customer-centric transformation strategy with clear positioning, goals, and targets – which should all be aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives. This will also require updating and optimizing the internal work model, governance framework and organizational structure in line with the customer-centric approaches. Additionally, we believe that technological empowerment is one of the main enablers of customer-centric practices. Therefore, organizations should identify the set of digital applications and systems that help them accelerate their transformation journey towards a more customer-centric business model. Undoubtedly, customer satisfaction is the main goal of any transformation effort made by the organization. To make your organization more customer-centric, you need to be closer to your customers. You can do this by building a customer tree representing customer segments, service categories and communication channels. This can dramatically improve your frontline communication with various types of clients, while helping your product/service design team learn about the customer behaviors and trends, and develop more relevant services/products that cater to the true needs of your customers. Additionally, you need to continuously collect and analyze data about customer behaviors, preferences and trends and update your customer tree accordingly. This will help you deliver more relevant offerings that are closer to your customers’ needs. A customer journey includes all customer interactions with your organization while trying to obtain your products/services. These interactions usually shape the customers’ perception of your business and, most importantly, what they say to others about your brand. That’s why you should pay special attention to your customer journey by carefully designing each customer interaction and touchpoint, based on customer type and personality. Also, when mapping the customer journey, make sure to set clear goals and identify internal and external roles to guarantee the desired value is successfully delivered. In addition to mapping the details of customer journeys, you also need to carefully design the details of the environment surrounding the journey, including the following: The customer experience refers to all the interactions customers have with your business and their perceptions and feelings towards these interactions. By constantly measuring your customer experience, you can have a clear insight into your customers’ journey and, consequently, determine the needed procedures to improve the customer experience and related processes. You should know, however, that the measurement processes and tools vary based on the type of journey and customers. At ODEL, we help you identify the best measurement methodology and tools that help you assess your customer journey thoroughly and effectively. Additionally, the measurement results are tested, evaluated and optimized
Is Automation the Magical Solution for all Your Business Problems?
Recent Updates Is Automation the Magical Solution for all Your Business Problems? There is a belief among most businesses that automation is the ideal and magical solution to improve efficiency, overcome challenges, embrace opportunities, and decrease business risks. However, we have to ask ourselves: is this belief absolutely right? I think we have paused a little to question the accuracy of this belief. First, let’s emphasize an important point. We, at ODEL, believe that automation is one of the most important drivers of institutional transformation and the right way to implement transformational concepts. This is particularly true in today’s world which is driven by digital solutions and emerging technologies, giving us a greater opportunity to achieve excellence. This article, however, is not an argument against automation. It, rather, seeks to support automation as an important driver for improvement and not as a magical solution for every challenge we have. How did the concept emerge and evolve? In simple terms, automation means involving software-based machines and equipment to support human labor in carrying out work tasks across all sectors and industries. It is also used to maintain an efficient workflow and improve business governance by decreasing potential errors. The concept first appeared in the automotive industry in 1946 and then moved to all industries, including the services sector and administrative tasks. Leveraging the power of technology, companies adopted and developed the concept, achieving a quantum leap in the way they do work and carry out business process. Today, we have almost reached a point of excessive automation or “Hyperautomation” as Google described it, and as we will discuss later. How it is viewed today? The role of automation as an optimization driver has been exaggerated and overestimated. It is regarded as a magic solution for all the challenges facing the organization. When an organization encounters operational problems, technical solutions are viewed as the ultimate way to address them, regardless of the type and cause of the problem. Here is where the marketing teams emerge to seize the opportunity and market their IT products as a magical way to get rid of all the operational and administrative problems. However, this way of thinking may not address the root of the problem. We believe that the main cause of the problem should be investigated and addressed first, then choose the suitable technology that supports your transformation goals. Definitely, you have heard about the failure of many ERP implementation projects. One reason is that the suggested systems do not effectively facilitate or improve the daily operations. Therefore, the new system will be perceived as a burden rather than a facilitator, and users will refrain from using it because it does not make their job easier. We realize that we are living in a world of rapid transformation that requires more flexibility, faster decisions, and adoption of new methods that help organizations reach operational excellence. However, this should not trick us into underestimating or bypassing important stages in the digital transformation journey, namely reviewing and evaluating the current performance and agreeing on the best set of solutions needed to address the challenges and optimize the performance. Automation is defiantly one of these solutions. It should, however, be applied along with other important procedures (such as: the implementation process, talents and competences, corporate governance, etc.). To sum up: When thinking of adopting new technologies to address business challenges and automate operational processes, you should take into account the following points which can significantly impact your ROI: Address the root and main cause of the underlying challenges.Make sure that you have successfully addressed the cause of the problem.Select the technologies and custom solutions that best address your business challenges.You are always invited and welcomed to seek help from the ODEL’s excellent team Thank You! The Knowledge Library Team ODEL Riyadh
Cognitive Biases and How They Impact Organizational Transformation Initiatives – Part 1
Human beings are the basis of all life activities, and organizational transformation is no exception. Humans are the forces who design, develop and operate transformational projects that aim to maximize institutional excellence. Given the nature of human inclinations, leaders may sometimes fall into the trap of cognitive biases which can significantly affect the way they think and run their organizations. In this article, one of a two-part series, we will talk about cognitive biases and how they are correlated to organizational transformation efforts. But before starting to discuss this correlation, let us first explain what is meant by cognitive bias. Cognitive bias is “a pattern of deviation in reasoning or judgment in certain situations, resulting in perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgments, or subjective interpretations”. The effect of such biases on decision-making has been confirmed by cognitive science (particularly cognitive and behavioral economics). In the context of organizational transformation, biases can be formed due to overconfidence in the outcomes of the decisions we take regarding continuous improvement projects. Sometimes, business leaders tend to, unconsciously, overestimate their reasoning and decision-making capabilities, resulting in what is called “outcome bias”. To protect our clients against forming such biases, we have reviewed and analyzed the lessons learned from some of the projects we conducted with our clients, and that were linked to cognitive biases. We will take you on a journey to identify such biases in the context of organizational transformation, with illustrative examples. Outcome bias arises when a decision is evaluated based on the outcomes of a previous similar situation, expecting to achieve the same outcomes each time a similar decision is made. When making decisions related to organizational transformation, leaders may fall into this trap by confidently anticipating to achieve specific results. They interpret all the inputs they have and align their paths of thinking towards reaching the specific, desired result. These biases can arise at any stage of the organizational transformation process, and can take many forms, such as choosing the competencies based on the desired result (e.g. selecting a team with a technological background because the suggested solution is technological), or collecting specific type of data that achieves the desired result (e.g. collecting complaints and suggestions from a certain branch because you think that all problems arise from this specific). Other example may also include choosing the experts and consultants with specific background based on the outcome you hope to achieve (e.g. consulting experts with marketing expertise based on your belief that most of your major problems are due to inefficient marketing plans). Anchoring bias refers to the constant tendency to be overly affected by the first information you hear. Organizations may fall into this trap by blindly relying on the ideas and information they gain at the early stages of their transformation journey, without questioning their accuracy, effectiveness, or relevance in the present context. This bias can dramatically impact the decisions you make and the practices you adopt to achieve transformation. This bias can show in many ways. For example: if you are in the process of appointing leadership positions related to transformation programs, you will tend to choose the candidates with previous experience and knowledge in the field of business transformation, which they might have obtained an early stage of their career. This may cause you to make decisions based on outdated standards that no longer fit in today’s constantly-changing world. You may also be misled by bias when making decisions based on your organization’s external stakeholders only, while underestimating the role of the internal stakeholders in your business transformation journey. This bias will prevent you from seeing the close link between service quality and internal processes, resulting in weak, inefficient business operations.. False consensus effect (also called “consensus bias”) describes the tendency to overestimate how much others support or agree with your choices or way of judgement. Some leaders may falsely believe that the rest of the organization’s leaders and employees have the same beliefs and views regarding the business transformation initiatives – a false consensus that does not really exist. This bias can arise at any stage of transformation, and can take many forms: For example, when you think that your suggested transformation model will get buy-in from all stakeholders, or when you adopt an improvement strategy while thinking that everyone else is aware of. When it comes to implementation, however, you will be surprised how false and inaccurate your assumptions were. See you soon in Part 2. Thank You! Knowledge Library Team ODEL Riyadh Recent Updates Cognitive Biases and How They Impact Organizational Transformation Initiatives – Part 1 Human beings are the basis of all life activities, and organizational transformation is no exception. Humans are the forces who design, develop and operate transformational projects that aim to maximize institutional excellence. Given the nature of human inclinations, leaders may sometimes fall into the trap of cognitive biases which can significantly affect the way they think and run their organizations. In this article, one of a two-part series, we will talk about cognitive biases and how they are correlated to organizational transformation efforts. But before starting to discuss this correlation, let us first explain what is meant by cognitive bias. Cognitive bias is “a pattern of deviation in reasoning or judgment in certain situations, resulting in perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgments, or subjective interpretations”. The effect of such biases on decision-making has been confirmed by cognitive science (particularly cognitive and behavioral economics). In the context of organizational transformation, biases can be formed due to overconfidence in the outcomes of the decisions we take regarding continuous improvement projects. Sometimes, business leaders tend to, unconsciously, overestimate their reasoning and decision-making capabilities, resulting in what is called “outcome bias”. To protect our clients against forming such biases, we have reviewed and analyzed the lessons learned from some of the projects we conducted with our clients, and that were linked to cognitive biases. We will take you on a journey to identify such biases in the context of organizational transformation, with illustrative examples. Outcome Bias Outcome bias
Cognitive Biases and How They Impact Organizational Transformation Initiatives – Part 2
Artificial intelligence has become an essential part of everyday life across the globe. Today, we rely on AI technologies to perform and facilitate many of our daily activities – from healthcare services to entertainment, learning and business management. In this article, we will continue our series on the impact of cognitive biases on organizational transformation. To protect our clients against forming such biases, we, at ODEL, have reviewed and analyzed the lessons learned from some of the projects we conducted with our clients, and that were linked to cognitive biases. We will take you on a journey to identify such biases in the context of organizational transformation, with illustrative examples. . Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to personal actions, while blaming failures on external factors. On the organizational level, self-serving bias can be defined as the tendency of the organization or employees to attribute positive business results to internal factors (such as robust management systems, strong leadership, insightful decisions, etc.), while attributing failures and negative outcomes to external factors and force majeure that are out of their control. In both cases, however, the reasons for success or failure may be internal or external. To determine the real factors of success or failure, outcomes must be analyzed fairly and objectively away from self-serving biases. This type of bias can show in different situations, such as when the organization decides to improve the operational model for one of its main services, which involves multiple parties. If the improvement efforts result in positive indicators and outcomes, the success will be attributed to the organization’s excellence in designing the optimized service model, robust governance framework, and efficient service level agreements. On the other hand, if the outcomes and indicators are negative, failure is blamed on external parties, factors, and reasons, such as non-compliance with the governance framework or service level agreements – among other external excuses. Likewise, when a service is disrupted or delayed, the blame is instantly and impartially cast on impaired capabilities and inefficient technical systems. So, all the blame and anger are unjustly directed at the “poor machine”, while in fact, the root cause of the problem is the organization’s failure to evaluate, assess and deploy the right capabilities and systems from the very beginning. So, instead of looking for the main reason for the failure, organizations fall victims to self-serving bias by putting the blame on endless number of excuses. This type of bias leads you to underestimate your likelihood of experiencing negative outcomes, while overestimating your likelihood of experiencing more success than your peers. Sometimes, we fall into the trap of optimism bias when making decisions related to organizational development due to overconfidence in our decisions. We think that the organization’s current performance is much better than previous performance and our competitors’ performance. We feel that we have more experience and knowledge than our peers or other organizations. This may cause us to make subjective, overly-optimistic decisions, while underestimating the chances of facing negative experiences and, consequently, not putting the appropriate plans to avoid them. Optimism bias can occur at any stage of organizational transformation, and can take many forms. One examples is when you go on to develop a transformation strategy without taking into account the organization’s culture or lessons learned from previous experiences; you have over trust in your own or your experts’ knowledge and skills, thinking that the current situation is less vulnerable to risks. Similarly, your overconfidence in your transformational decisions may cause you to overlook the need for developing an effective change management strategy, which is essential to ensure that changes are implemented smoothly with the least resistance possible. It is the tendency to support the information that are consistent with our existing beliefs, while ignoring any evidence that does not accord with these. Confirmation bias can occur when analyzing a situation or working on a problem. For example, we may misinterpret the information and observations we have because of our tendency to analyze them based on internal motives or pre-conceived perceptions. This can happen when the biased person has gone through similar experiences in the past, causing him/her to use the same observations and conclusions they have previously made in a similar context. In other words, they tend to use the same interpretation they made during a similar previous experience, thinking that it would lead to the same positive results. Suppose that you are working on improving a certain service/procedure and identifying the underlying problems or challenges. To do this, you need to analyze the efficiency of the operational processes, the employees responsible for implementation, and the IT systems used. If you start the analysis with a pre-conceived belief that the inefficiency of IT systems is the main challenge (based on the conclusion you have made during a similar situation), you will end up blaming the IT systems for the current problem, too. You will unintentionally look for the signs, observations and information which confirm your own pre-conceived belief, while ignoring any other information that does not accord with it. This can cause you to overlook the signs of other potential culprits (such as weak competencies, inefficient procedures,. Simply put, functional fixedness refers to the tendency to use or think of things in a fixed, specific way. This way of thinking impairs our ability to use objects in any new way other than the one usually used with it, or as the old saying described it: “If the only tool you have is hammer, you will treat everything as a nail. Applying this in the context of transformation projects, we may sometimes fall into this trap by strictly adhering to the traditional methods and solutions when carrying out transformational activities, without trying to look for new methods of doing things , or use the existing ones in a different way to achieve better impact. Falling a victim to this type of bias while working on transformation projects may cause us to stop our transformation effort when we face