Customer Analytics For Dummies

Chapter 20

Ten Methods for Identifying Customer Needs

In This Chapter

Finding sources of customer data

Visualizing the customers’ experience

An innovative product doesn’t come from a law passed by the government. It also doesn’t come from venture capitalists looking for a higher return on an investment. Innovation comes from identifying customers’ needs and providing solutions that meet those needs.

Companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Intuit understand this. Uber’s success, for example, has come not from building new, better taxis, but from seeing — and then solving — people’s transportation problems.

Want to know where to put your innovation efforts? Uncover your customers’ unmet needs using the methods I discuss in this chapter.

Although you might not be working on the next Airbnb, Uber, or even a product you think is exciting, like business software, or temperature controls, understanding and identifying customer needs may lead to a revolutionary innovation. After all, Nest revolutionized the rather mundane industry of thermostats and changed how everyone heats and cools houses.

Starting with Existing Data

You most likely have existing data at your fingertips. Review past surveys, ...