Here are some questions we have been asked over the past few months
Q. Why haven’t I ever heard of the term "service design" before?
A. It’s actually much more prevalent in Europe, particularly in the UK, but a number of leading universities in the United States are also recognizing service design as an important discipline and have begun incorporating this element into their respective curriculums. Carnegie-Mellon University may have been the first, but a number of other universities, such as Stanford and Harvard are following along.
Q. Isn’t this just really "marketing?"
A. Traditionally, marketing has been focused on figuring out how to sell what you already have. We specialize in understanding what customers want and translate that into services that create value for both the customer and your organization.
Q. But I have an in-house product development team and an innovation task force that comes up with these ideas.
A. That’s great. Then you are already headed in the right direction. One of the benefits we bring to the table is what any outside firm brings in – fresh eyes and an outsider perspective. A big part of the value that we bring to the table is an understanding of what is going on in other industries and how that can be applied to our particular business. If you’ve got a group already focused on innovation, then we’re already thinking the same way. Unfortunately, many companies don’t yet realize that innovation is key to their future survival.
Q. How can I afford to do this, in this economic climate?
A. Yes, these are scary times. But these times also create opportunities for innovation. While most companies are in a “hunker down” mentality, a few companies are seeing these times as an opportunity to be creative, bold, and innovative. Remember when the Internet “bubble” burst in 2000/2001? It was from that chaos that companies like Google, YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook emerged. The question is, "Where will your competition be when the dust clears and more importantly, where do you want to be?"
Send us an email or call us at 800-578-4384 to see how we can help you create new sources of revenue for your business.
