This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
What to Watch For
From our observations, a large majority of interpreting evidence is knowing what questions to ask, while the remainder is getting answers to those questions. If you know what questions to ask and to whom you should ask them, you will get more useful answers. A great place to start is with stakeholders. However, many organizations rely on internal stakeholders as proxies for real customers.
The problem with relying on internal stakeholders is that they are not customers; their opinions relate to their own experiences and perceived satisfaction gaps, which may not be the same as customers. Internal stakeholder feedback can be useful, but it is not a substitute for customer feedback.
Imagine seeing revenue steadily climb over the course of a year. That is great, right? When you speak to customers, what if you discover how unsatisfied they are with your offering? Your revenue may increase because customers do not have a better choice, not because they are happy with your offering. If your competitor closes this satisfaction gap, you could be out of business. You might have a temporary hold on a customer, but it will disappear in time.
Perhaps the most critical thing to consider is how long it has been since you have collected real feedback from real customers. As that time period increases, so does your connection to your customers and your alignment to their needs. A widening satisfaction gap is a ripe opportunity for competitors to disrupt you and your business model.