 One of the fastest-growing disciplines in business goes by several names, but it's all about observing customers
(and potential customers) at work as a means of discovering unmet needs
that your organization can fill. You won't read much about it on the
Web because it's still competitive-advantage stuff: What I know about
the science of it I cannot
disclose under a confidentiality agreement, and most of the companies
doing it (Steelcase, Intel, Volkswagen, Microsoft -- that's Bill Gates
in the pith helmet at right, from a recent Forbes Small Business
magazine article on the subject) aren't talking about it much. Mostly
it's called cultural or corporate anthropology or ethnology, but I
prefer the term Customer Anthropology -- the study of your customers' people and behaviours in their 'natural habitat'.
While I can't talk about the science, I can
talk about the art, and anyone who's a decent observer with a critical
mind can quickly devise their own methodology for doing it from that.
If
you're a birdwatcher -- one who's really into animal behaviour and not
just ticking another species off on your list -- you're halfway there
already. Customer Anthropology is a lot like birdwatching in that you
want to try to make yourself invisible to those you're watching -- you
want to see what they would do if you weren't there, not witness their
performance for you. That
means that you need to get permission to observe your customers and
putting them at ease. From experience I can tell you that getting
permission is easier than it sounds -- the companies I've spoken to are
delighted to permit it, provided they are debriefed on it so they can
(a) learn something about what's not working in their own organizations
themselves, and (b) learn about Customer Anthropology so they can do it
with their customers.
The
trick is introducing yourself to the people you'll be observing in a
non-threatening way, so they don't see you as a 'spy' for their bosses.
This requires being friendly and a bit self-deprecating -- it doesn't
hurt to portray yourself as a bit of a tourist and shrug a bit about
your assignment. Your visit should not be a surprise -- you need to
ghost write an explanation of your visit for your customer's managers
and have them send it to their employees before you arrive. It should
say that your visit is to find out what your company can do to serve them better, to make their jobs easier, and not to evaluate or report on their performance.
Once
you're in, you need to bring all the observational tools you can.
Cameras, video and audio recorders, observation checklists -- not all
that different from birdwatchers' tools! You need to use them
discreetly -- turn off the flash, and make as little noise as you can.
Find a 'perch' where you can observe a lot without getting in people's
way.
What you are looking for is anything that clearly does not work properly or effectively, such as:
- Workarounds:
Things people do that the process, tools and facilities obviously were
not designed to accommodate, e.g. extra manual worksheets that are
maintained because the computer reports don't do the job.
- User
Torture: Evidence of obvious physical or psychological discomfort, e.g.
people with phones cradled in their neck because they don't have
headsets.
- Obstacles and Barriers: Signs that people can't do
their job properly because something is physically or procedurally in
their way, e.g. people who leave their station for inordinately long
times because they need to 'get approvals'.
- Repurposed Objects:
Tools designed for one thing that have been appropriated for something
else because no other suitable tool was available, e.g. makeshift
doorstops to increase airflow or light in a factory.
- Wear Patterns: Evidence of stress or overuse, e.g. damaged power cords or hinges.
It's useful to observe not only your company's clients but your competitors' company's
clients as well, so you can see what your products' and services'
relative strengths and weaknesses are and how they can be exploited.
As you observe, keep in mind the reason why you are doing this: Most organizations don't really know what's not working or why. There are many reasons for this.
- It's usually easier and less hassle for employees to find workarounds than to complain to management and wait for them to act.
- Some
of these workarounds circumvent management directives, so employees
don't want management to know about them, and won't admit to doing them.
- Most managers are out of touch with what really happens on the front lines of the organization, so there's no point asking them.
- Many
employees don't even notice what doesn't work -- they just get used to
putting up with it or automatically finding workarounds, so there's no
point asking them either.
- Surveys
and interviews presuppose (often incorrectly) that you know how and why
your customers are (and aren't) using your products and services.
Being
an anthropologist takes a certain mindset. You need to be patient --
the devil is in the details, and it takes awhile before you start to
appreciate what is happening, and why, and start noticing things that
you will initially miss. It takes concentration and focus, and an
ability to bring all your senses to bear (body language can convey a
lot, for example) in your observation. Going back and looking
at/listening to your recordings can help you pick up things you missed
the first time around, and letting other people watch/listen can also
pick up what you miss. Watching someone do the same task twice,
differently, or watching two people do the same task, differently, can
be very informative.
The techniques I suggested last week for becoming a more effective listener can also be applied to become a more effective observer.
Always keep in mind that things happen the way they do for a reason.
The reason will not always be obvious, and you have to keep an open
mind and not jump to conclusions about the reason. Interviewing people
afterwards to ask them why they think something is happening or is done
a certain way can improve your perspective, but sometimes people just
don't know. The anthropologist's job is to objectively record what is
happening, and figure out why.
What
you will end up with is a list of things that are clearly not working
properly or effectively, and some validated hypotheses about why they
aren't. Each of these is an opportunity (for you to do something with
your product or service that will make it work better and fix what
isn't working effectively), and a threat (if your competition's product
or service beats you to it).
But beyond this, there is
enormous value in customer anthropology in increasing your people's
understanding of your customers' businesses and industry, which can
provoke all kinds of ideas for innovations, for new markets and product
lines, and for expanding your presence with your customers to do more
for them. This understanding will also improve your ability to
strategize and improvise, re-energize your passion for what you do, and
deepen your relationships with customers.
I've heard customer
managers so impressed with the insight and understanding that came out
of customer anthropology that they gave their observers the ultimate
compliment: "In some ways it seems as if you now know our business
better than we do". Now that's a powerful business tool. |
MADE IN CANADA
trust your
instincts 
