Category Archives: Customer Experience

Nothing and Everything Has Changed in Customer Service

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Nothing and Everything Has Changed in Customer Service

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

With all the talk of AI, ChatGPT and more, I’m often asked when interviewed, “What’s changed in customer service?”

My answer is accurate: Nothing!

For thousands of years – actually about 3,775 years – when customers have had a problem or question, they have contacted the company they are doing business with and hoped that it would be resolved to their satisfaction. That’s the way it’s been and will continue to be for thousands of years to come.

But there’s also another answer to the same question about what’s changed: Everything!

By everything, I’m referring to the latest methods of responding to customers’ questions and handling their problems and complaints. I mentioned that for 3,775 years, customers have been contacting companies when they have problems or questions. About 10 years ago, I wrote a Forbes.com article when I learned that tucked away in the British Museum is an ancient complaint that dates back to 1750 B.C.

Nanni, the customer, bought copper ore from a supplier, Ea-Nasir. Unhappy with his purchase, Nanni sent a letter in the form of a stone tablet with the engraved complaint. Loosely translated, the “letter” opens with these words, “What do you take me for that you treat somebody like me with such contempt?” The rest of the letter was a demand that he receive what he thought was right.

Ancient Customer Service Shep Hyken

Customers still complain, and companies – at least the good ones – respond and properly take care of their customers. But how they do so has radically changed.

What may have started as an engraved complaint on a stone tablet eventually turned into handwritten letters, then phone calls, emails, chat, and more modern-day ways of communicating. AI has become the topic of the day, and the strides made in automation and self-service have come a long way.

While many companies are still improving and trying to keep up with the technology, customers who take advantage of the new ways to get questions answered and complaints resolved are very happy with the companies that have kept up with the latest ways to manage the customer experience.

At its core, customer service hasn’t changed. Customers still want to be heard, understood and valued. Sometimes, they even want a little empathy. However, what has changed is the way we deliver that experience. The tools may have evolved from stone tablets to AI chatbots, but the goal remains the same: take care of the customer.

Companies that embrace new technologies while staying true to the timeless principles of great service – listening, responding quickly, and meeting or exceeding expectations – are the ones that will keep their customers coming back. The best companies know that while everything seems to change, the most important thing never changes: a relentless focus on the customer!

Image Credit: Pixabay

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Your Legends Define Your Culture

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Your Legend Defines Your Company Culture

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

It was about 50 years ago, in or around the mid to late 1970s, when a brand’s legendary story was born. This true story perfectly articulates this brand’s culture. It perfectly demonstrates how empowered employees should act and defines how customers should be treated. The story is Nordstrom’s legendary tire story.

The short version of the story is that a customer brought a pair of tires into a Nordstrom store in Fairbanks, Alaska, and asked to return them. He insisted he purchased them at that location. Craig Trounce, the store associate who was working that day, gave the customer a refund.

Obviously, Nordstrom doesn’t sell tires—and never did. However, in 1975, Nordstrom purchased three retail stores owned by Northern Commercial Company, which did sell tires. Once Nordstrom took over the stores, it restocked them with its own inventory, which didn’t include tires.

According to the story on the Nordstrom website, “Instead of turning the tires away, Craig wanted to do right by the customer, who had driven more than 50 miles with the intention of returning these tires. Knowing little about how tires are priced, Craig called a tire company to get their thoughts on how much the tires were worth. He then gave the customer the estimated amount, took the tires and sent him on his way.”

That story became the legend that defines Nordstrom’s culture. So, as a leader of your organization, what story does your company or brand have that defines your culture? If you don’t have one, maybe it’s time to find it. And it’s never too late.

John W. Nordstrom and his partner, Carl F. Wallin, opened their first store, a shoe store, in 1901. It wasn’t until 22 years later that they had their second store. In 1963 the store expanded beyond shoes and started selling clothing, and in 1971, the company went public and officially changed its name to Nordstrom.

The point is that it took almost 75 years for a company that already had a reputation for delivering an excellent service experience to create its legend. This single act of customer service has been told countless times in training sessions, books, articles and keynote speeches. It’s not just about tires or refunds. It’s about empowering employees to make good decisions. It’s about emphasizing a company’s culture. And if you could monetize it, how much money would a company have to pay to generate the positive PR this created for Nordstrom?

Many other companies have similar stories. Some of the more recognizable brands with “legend status” stories can be found through a Google search and include the Zappos 10-hour phone call that some say is an all-time customer service call record, the story of how empowered employees at the Ritz-Carlton are allowed to spend up to $2,000 to solve guest problems and many more.

So, what’s your legend? And if you don’t know, how do you find it?

I’m going to bet there is some account of how someone in your organization responded to a customer or did something of note that is worth sharing and turning into your version of the Nordstrom tire story. That’s the place to start. And the best way to go about it is to simply ask every employee to share their favorite story about how they created an amazing experience for one of your customers.

In this first round, don’t make this a huge writing assignment. Just ask for a few sentences. From there, someone (or a team) will sift through the responses and look for five or 10 that stand out. You’re looking for:

  1. moments in which employees went above and beyond
  2. situations that perfectly demonstrate your values
  3. stories that are simple to tell but powerful in impact

Then go back to the sources of these stories and ask for more detail. In a short time, you’ll have several great stories to consider. And in the process, you’ll also discover ideas based on these stories to turn into “best practices” examples that other employees can learn from and emulate.

Your service legend doesn’t need to involve tires or thousand-dollar gestures. It simply needs to authentically represent who you are as a company and what you stand for. The best legends aren’t manufactured. They’re discovered in the everyday actions of employees who truly understand and embrace your culture. When you find your story, celebrate it, share it and let it inspire the next generation of customer service excellence in your organization. After all, somewhere in your company today, an employee might be creating the next legendary story that will define your culture for years to come.

Image Credit: Pexels

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

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Better Customer Experiences Without Customer Feedback

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Learning from Customer Complaints – Even When They Don’t Tell You

Better Customer Experiences Without Customer Feedback

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

How would you like to know what made a customer angry or sad, leading them to leave a negative review? You might say, “I’ll just ask them,” and that’s a great answer. Direct feedback is a gift. But maybe there’s another way.

I had a sit-down with Michael Podolsky, the CEO of PissedConsumer.com, a sounding board for consumers to leave comments and reviews when they can’t get the customer service they want or deserve. In our Amazing Business Radio interview, he suggested that a proactive approach to handling complaints is more than just meeting with your team to discuss what you’re hearing from customers or what you think makes them unhappy. Take the guesswork out of it. Short of direct feedback, which in my opinion is still the best way to learn if your customers love you (or not), read competitor reviews on their websites or in the B2B world and partake in industry forums to find out what customers are saying about the companies they do business with.

Shep Hyken Customer Complaints Cartoon

In addition to looking at competitors’ websites and industry forums, monitor social channels for mentions of your competitors. While most companies practice “social listening” for their own brands, paying attention to social mentions about your competition gives you a broader insight into what’s happening in your industry.

Based on what you learn, create a Complaint Prevention Checklist. For example, if customers frequently complain about long hold times when calling your competition’s customer support, examine your company’s response time. If customers are frustrated by your competition’s complicated return policies, make sure you aren’t guilty of the same.

This isn’t a “do it once” exercise. Take time each quarter – maybe even each month – to examine this type of feedback. Share insights with your team and use them to stay customer-focused and ahead of your competition. Recognize that there are two areas in which you want to compete: providing a better customer experience and having fewer complaints. In a perfect world, you would have no complaints.

In my book, I’ll Be Back: How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again, one of the six strategies I cover in the final chapter is to find out what your competition does well and adapt it to your company. Don’t copy, but use their ideas for inspiration to make it your own. And if you pay attention to Podolsky’s advice, you’ll also want to find out what your competition isn’t doing well. Of course, you’ll want to determine if your organization is guilty of the same behaviors or operational snafus and proactively seek to eliminate or mitigate the problems.

Image Credit: Unsplash

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Top 10 Human-Centered Change & Innovation Articles of April 2025

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Top 10 Human-Centered Change & Innovation Articles of April 2025Drum roll please…

At the beginning of each month, we will profile the ten articles from the previous month that generated the most traffic to Human-Centered Change & Innovation. Did your favorite make the cut?

But enough delay, here are April’s ten most popular innovation posts:

  1. Innovation or Not? – Kawasaki Corleo — by Braden Kelley
  2. From Resistance to Reinvention — by Noel Sobelman
  3. How Innovation Tools Help You Stay Safe — by Robyn Bolton
  4. Should My Brand Take a Political Stand? — by Pete Foley
  5. Innovation Truths — by Mike Shipulski
  6. Good Management is Not Good Strategy — by Greg Satell
  7. ChatGPT Blew My Mind with its Strategy Development — by Robyn Bolton
  8. Five Questions Great Leaders Always Ask — by David Burkus
  9. Why So Many Smart People Are Foolish — by Greg Satell
  10. Beyond Continuous Improvement Culture — by Mike Shipulski

BONUS – Here are five more strong articles published in March that continue to resonate with people:

If you’re not familiar with Human-Centered Change & Innovation, we publish 4-7 new articles every week built around innovation and transformation insights from our roster of contributing authors and ad hoc submissions from community members. Get the articles right in your Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin feeds too!

Build a Common Language of Innovation on your team

Have something to contribute?

Human-Centered Change & Innovation is open to contributions from any and all innovation and transformation professionals out there (practitioners, professors, researchers, consultants, authors, etc.) who have valuable human-centered change and innovation insights to share with everyone for the greater good. If you’d like to contribute, please contact me.

P.S. Here are our Top 40 Innovation Bloggers lists from the last four years:

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Paying Your Employees More Can Save You Money

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Paying Your Employees More Can Save You Money

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

What’s the secret to keeping employees, getting them to work hard and provide a more engaging experience with your customers? There are two answers. The first is one word: Money.

Many years ago, I worked with a well-known fast casual restaurant chain. I was impressed by its low turnover and high customer engagement and satisfaction ratings. Its secret was higher starting pay, generous raises and a reasonable benefits package. All of that compensation led to attracting the best candidates, and more importantly, keeping them.

A recent RetailWire article covered the higher wages Costco pays its employees. Typical hourly employees (Costco refers to them as “assistants”) include cashiers, stockers, warehouse personnel and people running the Costco food courts. With a tighter labor market, it is tougher to find people to fill these roles (and others). It is reported that Costco’s wages are at the high end of the industry. A memo from Costco’s CEO Ron Vachris stated, “We believe our hourly wages and benefits will continue to far outpace others in the retail industry.”

While wages are higher, employee retention in retail has gone down. According to an article in The Economist, the average employee turnover rate in the retail industry is 60%. Costco’s turnover is 8%, which is an incredible 86.67% lower than the industry.

Does this mean the higher wages are being paid by consumers? The simple answer is no. The longer answer is why. Just because a company pays employees more, a resulting benefit, such as lower turnover, actually reduces the cost of the higher wage. Lower turnover results in lower hiring costs, which also includes the cost of on-boarding and training. The full cost of the higher wage is dramatically reduced to a point that might pay for itself.

But higher wages aren’t the only reason employees stick around, work harder and better engage with customers. As mentioned at the top of the article, there is also a second reason, and that is culture.

While some employees will stick around for the paycheck, if you want the most out of any employee, they must like their job, and that goes beyond the job description. It also includes who they work with and work for. The culture of a company helps retain the best talent.

Regardless of what you pay your employees, if they don’t like the company, the way they are treated, their boss or leadership, paying them more may not be enough. I won’t go into creating company culture, but you can check out a Forbes article from last year that covered the Employee Hierarchy of Needs with a focus on building a fulfilling workplace culture.

Happy employees mean happier customers. All the benefits mentioned translate to higher NPS and customer satisfaction scores. If you compare the highest-rated companies and brands for customer service and experience posted by the American Customer Satisfaction Institute (ACSI) and the highest-rated companies and brands by employees at www.Glassdoor.com, you’ll find many of the same names. This is further backed up by an excellent article in the Harvard Business Review titled “The Key to Happy Customers? Happy Employees” by Andrew Chamberlain and Daniel Zhao. Even though it was written just over five years ago, the insights are more relevant than ever.

Companies like Costco prove that investing in employees through both compensation and culture isn’t just good for employees. It’s good for business. Employee happiness is contagious. Customers pick up on it. And when customers are happy, they come back, spend more and tell others. And, that makes the leadership and investors happy too!

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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Doing Personalization Correctly

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Doing Personalization Correctly

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Companies today face three critical marketing and Customer Experience (CX) challenges:

  1. How can you keep customers coming back?
  2. How can you get your customers’ attention so they don’t consider switching to the competition?
  3. How do you create an experience that makes price less relevant?

These questions and others can be answered in one word: Personalization.

It used to be that personalization was a marketing tactic. Simply using the customer’s name in the salutation of an email or letter, such as “Dear Shep,” was personalization in its most basic form. Include a reference in the body of the message, for example, what city the customer lives in, and you had what many considered to be a more sophisticated personalization program.

Today, the concept of personalization has blended into part of the customer experience. Using a name is barely a personalized experience. Using information about the customer that feels like the company or brand knows them takes marketing from promotional to customer experience.

For example, if I call a company that I’ve done business with and have questions about a new product I’m interested in purchasing or a customer service question, the company representative should have enough information about me to know how long I’ve done business with them, what products or services I’ve purchased, what problems, questions, or complaints I’ve called about and more. Using that information the right way is the beginning of a more powerful personalized experience. Customers like it when you know them.

And this concept goes beyond live interactions between a customer and an employee. A modern-day personalization messaging campaign is powerful and turns traditional email or text message marketing into a highly personalized experience.

This same experience can be used in email or text messages, either as part of customer support when customers “write in” with a question or for marketing when you want to push a message to the customer. Used the right way, you’re showing your customers that you know them.

On a recent Amazing Business Radio episode, I interviewed Ronn Nicolli, chief marketing officer of Resorts World Las Vegas. He talked about how storytelling can hit an emotional chord with a customer, helping to create and maintain an image that customers embrace and look forward to. And when the customer can relate to the story—or maybe they are part of the story—you connect at a different level. A higher level.

Nicolli said, “Ten years ago, email marketing was like fishing with dynamite. Throw the dynamite in the water—in the form of a big email campaign—and see what floats to the surface.” It was a mass marketing campaign, and the extent of personalization was the customer’s name. Today, because of advances in technology, Nicolli says, “AI gives us the ability to market in mass, but on a one-to-one basis.”

What you’re selling may be the same for everyone, but the message is highly personalized by merging the customer’s name, dates they did business, comments they made and more into the message. Nicolli referred to the AI program as an intelligent learning program.

Curating personalized messaging and visuals in mass that speak to each individual is going to resonate far better than a general message with no personalization other than the customer’s name. Nicolli shared that he can send out a million emails, and the messages are all re-curated to ensure they are meaningful and speak directly to the customer. For example, the resort may want to promote a seasonal package to its database. A message to a customer/guest who comes in with a group of friends for college basketball’s March Madness tournament weekend will receive a different email than a customer who frequents the hotel with a spouse or loved one for the occasional romantic weekend—even if the promotion is asking for the same call to action.

So, whether you’re personalizing the experience for customer support or a marketing message, it’s now all part of the customer experience. Our latest customer experience research finds that eight out of 10 customers prefer a personalized experience. They will even pay more for it, making price less relevant. They want to do business with or go to the place, like the title of the theme song from the hit 1980s TV sitcom Cheers implies, ‘Where Everybody Knows Your Name’.

This is what your customers want and expect. So, take your customer experience efforts to the next level with a personalization strategy that creates an emotional connection and gets customers to say, “I’ll be back.”

Image Credit: Shep Hyken, Pexels

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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The Enemy of Customer Service is …

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The Enemy of Customer Service is ...

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview Brian Hamilton on Amazing Business Radio. Brian is the chairman of LiveSwitch and an entrepreneur who has started, built up, and sold numerous businesses. At the end of every show, I ask, “What last nugget of wisdom can you share with our listeners?” He shared an amazing answer:

“The enemy of customer service is pride.”

As he shared what he meant by this profound statement, I knew it was going to be something I would write and talk about.

If you’ve been following my work, you know one of my favorite concepts is The Customer Is NOT Always Right! Let’s use that as a starting point to understand how pride can be the enemy of customer service.

When we’re taught (or told) by the boss that the customer IS always right, and one day a customer makes a statement that isn’t right or accurate, we have conflict. Or maybe the customer is argumentative. We have been taught and told – maybe even ordered – to treat that customer as if they are right. But they are not. For example, what happens if you have a liberal 30-day return policy and the customer comes to return the item on day 60, insisting they were told the store had a 90-day return policy? Can you see the conflict? They are clearly wrong, and that conflict is where pride kicks in and gets in the way of good customer service.

Enemy of Customer Service is Pride

For some, it’s hard to put pride aside and empathize and sympathize with the customer’s errant point of view. While we may not directly tell the customer they are wrong, we say something that is combative or argumentative – even if we say it nicely. When pride gets in the way, we might find ourselves thinking:

  • “I know more than this customer.”
  • “They clearly don’t understand how our system works.”
  • “If they just listened to reason, they would realize they’re wrong.”

Those types of thoughts are our pride getting in the way of serving our customers at the highest level. Instead, consider this:

  1. Listen without interrupting, even if you know they’re wrong.
  2. When you do finally talk, choose the right words to avoid escalating the situation.
  3. Empathize and acknowledge their frustration or concern.
  4. Focus on finding a solution rather than proving who’s right.

Remember, the goal isn’t to win an argument. It’s to win the customer. (Another concept I’ve preached for years.) When we let go of pride and focus on helping, we create better outcomes for everyone involved. So, the next time you find yourself in a situation where you know the customer is wrong, ask yourself, “What’s more important, being right or being helpful?” The answer will guide you toward better customer service. Don’t let pride get in the way of good customer service!

Image Credit: Shep Hyken, Pexels

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Loyalty Programs Are More Than Just Repeat Business

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The Hidden Revenue Engine

Loyalty Programs Are More Than Just Repeat Business

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Loyalty programs have evolved far beyond their humble beginnings as simple “earn and burn” points systems. While many still view them primarily as marketing tools to drive repeat business, today’s loyalty programs have become sophisticated revenue engines that can significantly impact a company’s bottom line.

Consider this surprising statistic from our annual customer service research: 46% of U.S. consumers are willing to pay more for companies that have good loyalty programs. Even more telling, 39% have chosen one brand over another, even if it is more expensive, simply to earn more points in a loyalty program.

The transformation of loyalty programs into revenue generators became especially apparent during the Covid-19 pandemic. While airlines were grounding their fleets, their loyalty programs were still generating substantial revenue through partnerships with credit card companies and other businesses. If you use a credit card tied to your favorite airline, you have experienced this firsthand. You don’t have to fly on the airline to continue to earn points and awards. This revelation led to some interesting valuations of these programs, sometimes worth more than the core business itself.

I had a chance to do an Amazing Business Radio interview with Aleksander Kaczmarek, the vice president of loyalty at CarTrawler. CarTrawler offers a technology solution that connects car rentals to brands such as American Airlines, Uber, Emirates, American Express, Hilton and many other brands you are familiar with. If you’ve ever bought an airline ticket or booked a hotel and were asked if you needed a rental car, you may have experienced CarTrawler.

According to Kaczmarek, modern loyalty programs are far more powerful than the points and awards most people think of. They’ve evolved from simple point-collection systems into sophisticated customer engagement platforms. Today’s programs leverage technology to create seamless experiences that encourage customers to interact with brands in multiple ways. For example, many retailers’ loyalty apps now include features like mobile payments, personalized recommendations and exclusive access to products or services.

Kaczmarek says revenue potential comes from three key areas:

  1. Direct Program Revenue: This includes membership fees (think Amazon Prime or Walmart+) and partnership revenues from other businesses that want access to the program’s member base.
  2. Increased Customer Spending: Loyalty program members typically spend more than non-members, partly because they’re trying to earn rewards and partly because the program makes it easier to do business with the company. (This is reflected in our research and the findings mentioned at the top of the article.)
  3. Data Monetization: The insights gained from loyalty program data can help companies make better inventory decisions, create more effective marketing campaigns and identify new business opportunities.

According to Kaczmarek, the most successful programs share several characteristics that drive both customer engagement and revenue:

  • More than Points: They offer immediate value beyond points accumulation, such as priority service or exclusive access.
  • Emotional Connection: They create emotional connections through experiential rewards rather than just transactional benefits.
  • Partnerships with Other Businesses and Brands: They leverage partnerships to expand their value proposition beyond their core business.
  • Using Technology for a Better CX: They use technology to deliver a seamless customer experience across all touchpoints

However, companies need to strike a careful balance. Kaczmarek says, “There’s often debate about whether loyalty programs should focus on generating revenue or enhancing customer experience. The truth is, they need to do both.”

This dual focus is crucial because customers aren’t loyal to the program—they’re loyal to the experience the company provides. A great loyalty program can enhance that experience and drive revenue, but it can’t compensate for poor service or products.

Kaczmarek notes that the future of loyalty programs goes beyond anything we’re seeing today, especially in the travel industry. “Looking ahead, we’re seeing innovative approaches to loyalty programs emerge. Some cities and business districts are exploring ‘destination loyalty’ programs that reward customers for engaging with multiple local businesses. Others are creating coalition programs where complementary businesses share a single loyalty platform.”

So, whether you’re a small local business or a major corporation, loyalty programs can be more than just a customer retention tool. When properly designed and executed, they can become a significant source of revenue while strengthening customer relationships.

Just remember, the typical loyalty program doesn’t actually create loyalty. It is a marketing program that simply rewards and reinforces repeat business. True loyalty still comes from consistently delivering great experiences that make customers want to say, “I’ll be back!”

Image Credit: Shep Hyken

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

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Six Revolutionary AI CX and Customer Service Strategies

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Six Revolutionary AI CX and Customer Service Strategies

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping customer service and customer experience faster than we could ever imagine. But some are getting it wrong. While everyone’s racing to implement AI, many are missing the most important part – keeping the human element alive. Smart companies have found the balance between the human touch and the digital experience.

One of my favorite AI and marketing experts is Ford Saeks, who recently released his latest book, AI Mindshift: Unleash the Power of AI, Avoid the Pitfalls, and Keep the Human Experience. The book is filled with practical strategies and tactics to help organizations leverage AI while maintaining the personal touch. The book isn’t about which specific AI tools to use. Many of those will be obsolete in a very short time. It’s about how to think about AI, hence the title, AI Mindshift. With that in mind, here are some of my top takeaways from the book:

  1. The Human-AI Balance Is Essential: This is the book’s central theme. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking AI can replace your customer service team. Instead, let AI handle the routine questions and problems while keeping your people focused on what they do best – building relationships and handling more complicated issues. This creates efficiency without sacrificing the personal touch customers value.
  2. Speed Matters: Your customers want answers now, not later. AI can deliver immediate first responses through chatbots, but here’s the key – make sure your customers can seamlessly transition to a human agent when needed. I refer to this as Time to Happiness – how quickly you can move a customer from frustrated to satisfied. The faster, the better.
  3. Feedback Is Your Friend: Create processes to continuously gather both customer and employee feedback about AI interactions. Consistently use this data to refine and improve your AI systems. If customers are frustrated with certain AI responses, fix them quickly. Otherwise, your faulty systems may frustrate your customers and drive them to the competition.

  1. Practice “Ethical AI” in Customer Service: Saeks emphasizes two big areas: transparency about when customers interact with AI versus humans and making sure your AI technology protects your customers’ privacy and data.
  2. Proactive Support: If you want to impress your customers, identify issues or problems before the customer finds them. Then, tell them you did. AI can help identify these issues.
  3. Think Big, but Start Small: Begin AI implementation with specific, manageable customer service tasks rather than trying to overhaul everything at once. For example, start with AI handling basic FAQs, then gradually expand to more complex customer interactions as you learn what works. Remember the old saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

The bottom line is this: AI isn’t about replacing your customer service team. It’s about making them more amazing at what they do. Saeks’ book reminds us that the future of customer service and CX isn’t about choosing between AI and humans. It’s about combining both to create experiences that get your customers to say, “I’ll be back!”

Image Credit: Pexels, Shep Hyken

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Top 10 Human-Centered Change & Innovation Articles of March 2025

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Top 10 Human-Centered Change & Innovation Articles of March 2025Drum roll please…

At the beginning of each month, we will profile the ten articles from the previous month that generated the most traffic to Human-Centered Change & Innovation. Did your favorite make the cut?

But enough delay, here are March’s ten most popular innovation posts:

  1. Turning Bold Ideas into Tangible Results — by Robyn Bolton
  2. Leading Through Complexity and Uncertainty — by Greg Satell
  3. Empathy is a Vital Tool for Stronger Teams — by Stefan Lindegaard
  4. The Role Platforms Play in Business Networks — by Geoffrey A. Moore
  5. Inspiring Innovation — by John Bessant
  6. Six Keys to Effective Teamwork — by David Burkus
  7. Product-Lifecycle Management 2.0 — by Dr. Matthew Heim
  8. 5 Business Myths You Cannot Afford to Believe — by Shep Hyken
  9. What Great Ideas Feel Like — by Mike Shipulski
  10. Better Decision Making at Speed — by Mike Shipulski

BONUS – Here are five more strong articles published in February that continue to resonate with people:

If you’re not familiar with Human-Centered Change & Innovation, we publish 4-7 new articles every week built around innovation and transformation insights from our roster of contributing authors and ad hoc submissions from community members. Get the articles right in your Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin feeds too!

SPECIAL BONUS: While supplies last, you can get the hardcover version of my first bestselling book Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire for 44% OFF until Amazon runs out of stock or changes the price. This deal won’t last long, so grab your copy while it lasts!

Build a Common Language of Innovation on your team

Have something to contribute?

Human-Centered Change & Innovation is open to contributions from any and all innovation and transformation professionals out there (practitioners, professors, researchers, consultants, authors, etc.) who have valuable human-centered change and innovation insights to share with everyone for the greater good. If you’d like to contribute, please contact me.

P.S. Here are our Top 40 Innovation Bloggers lists from the last four years:

Subscribe to Human-Centered Change & Innovation WeeklySign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.