Inside Your Customer's Imagination

Customer service expert Chip Bell takes readers to the next level of customer-centric innovation--not just listening to your customers or partnering with them but cocreating products and services with them.

Every organization aspires to be customer-centric, but the current approach is shallow and transactional: organizations ask customers what they want and then try to give it to them. But often customers can't articulate precisely what they want. To really stay ahead of the competition, organizations have to have such a deep relationship with their customers that they can surprise them and create innovations that match their hopes and aspirations, not just their needs and expectations.

This book lays out a strategy for getting customers fully integrated into the creation process. Bell offers five secrets for what he calls Co-creative Partnerships: Curiosity--develop a deep connection with customers that bonds, affirms, and supports; Grounding--find the juncture between the customer's needs and hopes and the organization's mission and values; Discovery--turn tryouts into bold, risk-taking learning adventures; Trust--honor candor, respect clear work agreements, and plan for the inevitable hiccups; and Passion--offer signs of admiration and actions of caring that help keep the alliance fresh and spirited.