Have you seen the Stand Out Service Trends report we recently published? If not, be sure to check it out! And even if you have, you’re in luck because I have some content to share in today’s article that didn’t fit into the final report.

As we surveyed our Stand Out leaders, we asked for insights around how customer expectations have changed, how service delivery is evolving, how organizations are building cultures of change, and much more. We also asked for input on the question, “How do you evaluate areas of potential (beyond efficiency improvements) within your service organization?”

The leaders shared several anecdotes that we didn’t have room for in the report – but that fortunately I can share here with you! Here’s what they had to say about where they find seeds of service innovation:

• “Through benchmarking and consumer experience studies.”

• “We utilize customer journey mapping in order to align opportunities to improve the overall customer experience, inclusive of improving the employee experience as well.”

• “We use industry seminars, whitepapers, and mid-term planning (3/5 years) that includes quality improvements and revenue/profit predictions linked to changing customer needs and the product portfolio changes expected/planned.”

• “Reflecting on how we can best serve the customer while maintaining profitability. What technology can we use to support service to the customer, while maintaining customer value and employee engagement?”

• “Customer feedback!”

• “We leverage an internal process called ‘The Idea Factory’ which creates a conduit for idea flow from across the organization.”

• “Ideas generated from the team with past experiences or new concepts from baselining, along with KPI data indicating where the efficiencies need to come from. The other organization departments also drive a lot of what we need.”

• “We have Customer Success managers who gather insights from customers and conduct monthly meetings with all customers. We also have an annual customer survey.”

• “Through customer journey analysis, design thinking workshops with customers and employees, and bottom-up ideation workshops.”

• “I would say we don't have a very robust infrastructure to do this. We have a forum for ideas/requests that gets evaluated by the leadership team, but we don't have a multi-functional forum for this.”

Reading through these responses, there are a few notable points that stand out to me. First is the point that there is no better seed of innovation than that which comes from customers themselves. You can see by the number of customer-centric replies that these organizations recognize that truth and put proper emphasis on understanding customers’ feedback, needs, and desires.

The next thing I’d note is the value of diversity of thought. I love the concept of the “Idea Factory” and am glad multiple respondents noted the importance of ideation coming from all levels and areas of the company. When organizations involve employees from different functions, with different backgrounds, skills, and perspectives, the outcome is far richer than if innovation rests in the hands of a limited pool of viewpoints.

The use of industry seminars and whitepapers is good to think about, too. I’d suggest considering not only how you can explore what companies within your industry are doing, but also how seeds of innovation can come from learning from other industries as well. Keeping pace with what trends, themes, and challenges are top of mind in (and beyond) your industry is a great way to not only validate your own ideation but to spark new ideas as well.

And finally, I appreciate the respondent who shared honestly that their organization doesn’t have a good infrastructure in place for finding these opportunities. It’s important to have the objectivity to recognize that truth; many organizations fail to see what’s lacking in their internal processes. Knowing there’s a need to create a better system for nurturing innovation is the first step in doing so!

Are there any ways you source seeds of innovation that you’d add to this list? I’d love to hear from you!