Improving Customer Service through Digital Technologies: Learning from Different Sectors

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

A while ago, I wrote a blog about the role that digital technologies played when I bought a bike online and how important it was to analyse the entire customer experience when trying to ensure customer satisfaction. A key part of the great service experience in that example was the receipt of automated text messages
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People Power!

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

One of the best parts of my job is when I work with teams who, and it’s very clear from the start, are in a pretty frustrated place. That might sound strange, but let me explain. Firstly, it’s interesting to start understanding why they might be frustrated, and it could be for a whole host
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Visualising Workflows

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

The more I understand about efficient and effective work practices, the more I realise that often the most important tactic to employ is that of visualisation – taking the work out of people’s heads and PCs and displaying the work in a shared space. Too often, work performance is completely hidden: the act of visualising
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The Turmoils of Transformation

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

As a lean specialist, I’m in the business of business transformation. Applying a lean approach can provide an organisation with a great ethos, structure and the necessary tools and techniques within which to enable positive change, but experience has proved that often intent, knowledge and energy are simply not enough. A number of organisational factors
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Preventing the Bad Smell of BPO

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

As a specialist in lean thinking, I naturally work with organisations that are keen to be more efficient and effective. They are looking to increase the gap between their costs and their income, generating an increase in profit. Naturally, ‘offshoring’ work to a national or international company that promises to process the work at a
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Looking at Value from a Different Perspective – Lessons from a Little Russian Hipster Anti-café

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

A friend shared an interesting article with me the other day about a new type of café that has opened in London – “Ziferblat”. Ivan Mitin, an “entrepreneur” (I use the word carefully as his quest seems to be more of an socially idealistic one as opposed to one driven solely by profit) has successfully
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Using Big Data to Personalise Customer Experience

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

One of the best companies I know at handling a massive amount of data is Tesco. It is terrifying how much information they know about their customers, but it enables them to tailor their offering specifically to suit an individual’s needs. Think about how tailored the Clubcard vouchers are to your particular shopping habits? Tesco
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Maximise Value not just Minimise Cost

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

As a lean thinking specialist, I often have to spend a considerable amount of time making sure that lean is not perceived as simply “a waste reduction” methodology. The 7 wastes (identified by Taiichi Ohno, a key architect of the Toyota Production System) are an immensely useful guide at helping to identify problems within both
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From Web to Wind

Posted on 23 July 2014 by Blogs Admin

There is no doubt of the immense power that IT can have in terms of enhancing customer experience. I am constantly amazed at the pace in which IT