Empathy and empowerment make or break the extra mile

Very few companies manage to achieve the ‘wow’ effect with their products and services. At the inNOWvate Supply Chain Event, it became apparent that going the extra mile for customers requires more than just efficient processes and smart AI tools. To truly make a difference, businesses need to innovate by empowering their people and appealing to their capacity for empathy. Keynote speaker Steven Van Belleghem: “We must learn to understand the person behind the customer.”

Every time a new technology is introduced, it follows a similar pattern. At first, everyone is wildly enthusiastic, but over time using that new technology starts to feel like the most natural thing in the world. “Think of iPhones,” says Van Belleghem. “For the first two or three years, they were incredible, but nowadays they’re just the norm. ChatGPT was fantastic in November 2022, but now we’re complaining that it’s too expensive and too slow.”

Van Belleghem is a much sought-after speaker and has written bestsellers on the customer experience, which – in his view – leaves a lot to be desired. He demonstrates this by asking who has had such a positive customer experience in the past two weeks that they told friends, colleagues or family members about it. Of the 300 people in the room, no more than seven or eight raise their hands.

This story was originally published by Supply Chain Movement. Read the full story at Supply Chain Movement →