Engaging the Enterprise

I wonder how often customer strategists do all the tough work gathering customer feedback and meticulously analyzing the information, only to find that insights from their customers were never really put to use. It's a tough challenge for anyone involved in their customer listening program.

I recently stumbled on a great video clip that captured this concept. You've all seen it and I used it in a recent presentation.

Remember the final scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark? After Indiana Jones risked life and limb as he relentlessly searched, found, transported, lost, and finally delivered the lost ark to his country, what happened? It was packed up under lock and key and rolled into an enormous warehouse never to be seen again. As we watched the video, my co-presenter Michael Good quipped, "picture that as all the customer insights from your listening program being packed away." Disheartening, huh?
 

It is a reminder that listening to customers isn't enough. As customer strategists and business leaders we must make sure we engage our fellow employees to make sure customer insights are put to use building relationships and improving our businesses.