Gap between good intentions and actual behavior:

For commercial businesses, the customer is crucial – at least in theory. Nevertheless, the results of our survey, Forte Pulse 2024, show a different picture: Only 33% of Norwegian managers involve their customers early and continuously in product development.

At the same time, as many as 81% consider it important to deliver high customer value and rank this as a high priority task in the business.

This gap between Good intentions and actual actions show that many people are still not exploiting the full potential of customer-centric product development in 2024.

Only 33 percent involve customers early and continuously in product and service development.

Why aren't customers involved more often?

In this context, the term "customers" is used in a commercial setting, but it can also apply to other types of end-users of a product or service, employees who use internal systems, or members of a non-commercial organization.

There are several reasons why the management of many Norwegian companies does not prioritize continuous customer and user involvement. despite good intentions.

There can be several reasons why:

No one takes ownership of the customer or the customer journey

Many businesses are organized in silos that create artificial divisions between the teams that develop products, those who sell them, and those who run customer service. Designers, developers, business professionals, and marketers can often work in isolation without sufficient dialogue or tools to collaborate and learn across disciplines. This leads to no one taking ownership of the customer or the customer journey.

Assumptions instead of insights

Instead of using real insight as a basis for decision-making, many companies base their decisions on assumptions about what the customer needs. The argument "this is how we have always done it" often becomes a cushion, especially at a time when digital development increases the need for innovation and competitiveness. Steve Blank, one of the founders of the Lean Startup movement, summed it up well:

"... no facts exist inside the building, only opinions."

Lack of expertise and resources

While management may want to involve customers more, they often lack a concrete plan or knowledge of how to do so effectively. Operational tasks take up a lot of the workday, and it can be challenging to set aside time and resources for insight work.

This is also shown by the finding The Competence Paradox in Forte Pulse 2024. A large majority (76 percent) of the respondents answer that the management lacks the necessary expertise and tools to handle digital transformation. At the same time, 67 percent answer that digital transformation is integrated into the company's strategy. How can digital transformation succeed when those who are supposed to run the processes and make the decisions do not have the right skills? It becomes a paradox.

Too much focus on the solution

Marty Cagan, author of the book Inspired, puts it this way:

"Fall in love with the problem, not with the solution."

It's easy to jump straight to solutions without spending time understanding your customers' needs and problems. Companies that don't prioritize understanding the customer's context risk creating products that don't meet real needs. Result? They fall into the well-known "building trap" that Melissa Perri describes in her book Escaping the Build Trap.

How to get started quickly?

Any business that wants to become more customer-centric should have a methodical approach and the right expertise in place to ensure the best possible impact. At the same time, it doesn't take much to learn  something  of their customers. Here are some suggested activities:

"Listen" to customer service

Listen to conversations between customer service and customers to learn about the challenges they are experiencing. Log the inquiries per category (for example, technical errors, billing questions, etc.) to build a data foundation. Many customer service platforms have ready-made tools for this.

User Testing

Invite customers to test your product – whether it's a ready-made service, a prototype, or just a simple sketch. Jakob Nielsen, one of the foremost in usability, says:

"The best results come from testing with no more than 5 users and running as many small tests as you can afford."

Observation

Observe how customers use the product or experience the customer journey in their everyday lives. Combine neutral observation with short interviews to gain insight into reactions and impressions.

The foundation should be in place

To become more customer-centric, companies need to make changes in both culture and working methods. Here are three key areas that provide a good starting point:

1. Build a culture of experimentation and learning

Reward curiosity and learning within your organization. Make it safe for your employees to test, fail, and learn – especially those closest to your customers. Facilitate unfiltered feedback about what works and what doesn't.

2. Break down the silos

To improve collaboration across the board, the silos need to be broken down. Take an honest look at how your business is organized, and consider whether it should be restructured based on how your customers perceive you.

3. Introduce routines for customer involvement

Create clear routines for involving customers regularly throughout the customer journey. Have you not yet mapped out the customer journey? Start doing so today. Use it actively in your insight work and to identify challenges.

As Marty Cagan says:

"Never go more than two weeks without putting your product ideas in front of real users and customers."

The voice of the customer is an undervalued resource

Forte Pulse 2024 reveals great potential for involving customers more and earlier in the processes. By making the voice of the customer an integral part of product development, you can lift customer value significantly.

To deliver real customer value, we need to move from assuming what customers need, to observing, asking, testing and learning directly from them.

So, When was the last time you spoke to your customers? Maybe it's time to start today?