In “Is Anybody Listening?”, I talked about the need for companies to develop the skill of listening to their customers. As a follow up, I would like to point out an interesting and relevant piece on Heads-Up! on Organization Innovation titled “Listening: the Spark of Innovation.” In it the authors suggest four levels of listening. They assert that higher level listening skills can open better communications and lead to higher quality interactions with clients.
The observations on listening skills are very helpful. Empathy focused dialogue will both help clients be more open with you and help you to better understand what clients are trying to tell you.
For purposes of innovation, it is also important to remember that the act of listening is not limited to the moment of customer interaction. Review and analysis of the exchange is also a part of the listening process. How we conduct this phase of the process is also very important. If we do a great job of drawing out customer input, but then consider that input through the filter of a provincial lens, we can undermine the value of the information we have so painstakingly collected.
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