Define relevance by how relevant the experience is

The customer journey is evolving (albeit very, very fast). That shouldn’t surprise you but it is good news. You haven’t been left behind completely. Your customers have changed though. Their experience of you and your mission may not be what any of us would want. In this case, relevance is defined by how relevant the experience is. Passion for your products and services is contingent on amazing experiences.

How you personally decide to react or lead is up to you. It, of course, is not about technology. What is the journey of getting closer to customers and staying relevant really about? Here are some ideas:

• Creating a culture built around the customer and their experience being the focus of all you do.
• Empowering employees to do what it takes to create amazing experiences.
• Opening up the floodgates of innovation.

Saying we want to get closer to customer won’t get senior management on board. While a customer revolution is at the C-Suite doors, someone (meaning you) needs to convince the top that change is imperative. Without that we will fail.

You know that most executives don’t use social networks personally. While they have smartphones, their primary utilization is for email and looking at the calendar to know where to go to next. The reality is that most in the C-Suite won’t read this won’t read this book. Trying to make a case that this is about technology will be a losing battle.

What is the future of companies built on? It isn’t about how Facebook, Twitter, iPhones, tablets or real time-time geolocation check-ins evolve. The future of companies does depend on relevance and the ability to at least understand technology to be able to make decisions about new opportunities. It does require the ability to strategically adapt to the new opportunities to create a competitive advantage.

So much of this is about change. There is a technology revolution occurring. Other companies understand this. But it is also about a whole series of real-world revolutions that are seizing how your customers live which impacts their experience with you. Expectations are moving fast. You can’t afford to get left behind. The kind of change we are talking about involves three things:

1. Listening
2. Learning
3. Adapting

As a digital executive, you can create the culture to make the change. If you can’t change the company, you can change your department or work team. You have a sphere of influence. You can make an impact.