Creating a Customer Working Group
Creating a Customer Working Group involves establishing a formal group of customers who are regularly consulted and engaged in the product development process. This group provides feedback, ideas, and insights directly to the stream teams, facilitating a customer-centric approach to product development.
Goal
The primary goal is to ensure that product development is closely aligned with customer needs and expectations, enhancing product relevance, usability, and customer satisfaction.
Context
In some organisations getting access to customers is difficult, whether it is a low-volume B2B product or high-value customers that are hard to reach. In these cases, a customer working group can provide a structured and efficient way to engage with customers, ensuring that their insights are incorporated into the product development process.
In addition, this can help to avoid situations where sales or customer success teams are wary of letting Stream Teams talk to customers directly. A pre-established working group can provide a safe and structured environment for these interactions.
Inputs
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer Segments | A list of the identified customer segments across geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioural dimensions. |
Outputs
| Artifact | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Working Group | A formal group of customers engaged in the product development process, providing feedback and insights. | Informs product decisions, ensuring they are grounded in actual customer needs and preferences. |
Anti-patterns
- Homogeneous Groups: Failing to include a diverse range of customers, leading to feedback that does not represent the broader target market.
- Overburdening Customers: Requesting too frequent or lengthy engagements, leading to customer fatigue and reduced participation.