Having innovated technology or product, do you also provide customers with innovative service? Successful commercialization may require a unique service system, as your innovation may be a major change in customers’ way of working and living.  

Open silos and mix roles

The most innovative service systems stem from, firstly, breaking down the organizational silos. Then, bringing customer frontline people – who represent different roles – to ideation of the new service practices. They may be from customer service, sales, delivery, technology, IT and product teams. Mixing them by roles, then building “competing teams”, and making them to prototype different versions. This is the way to make a productive setting. Often, listening to customers is also a “must”.  

Guiding this service system innovation process might consist of service simulations, scripting storyboards from customer interaction, colleague sparring, solutions iteration, prototypes testing and solutions integration.  Still, we can keep it agile and creative.

To summarize

Don’t build your innovation on an outdated service system. Innovate your business model!

If you wish to discuss more about innovative service systems, I would be glad to explain how these raw materials should be put together. Please, mail me and make your question to: hannu.mattinen -(at)- stepsahead.fi