Charting Customer Centricity: Practical Takeaways from EDC’s Innovation Bootcamp

An enriching discussion on the customer’s experience and evolving needs took place at the launching of First Gen-owned Energy Development Corporation’s (EDC) Purposeful Innovation fireside chat on January 19, 2024, in partnership with Endeavor Philippines. The virtual session, “The Art and Science of Customer Centricity in Startups,” saw over a hundred attendees from Energy Development Corporation’s locations nationwide. Insights from experts Nate Clarke of GoTymeBank and Niek van Veen from Thinking Machines offered a practical roadmap to embedding customer-centric practices in business operations.

Here are the main takeaways from the session:

The Strategic Value of Cohort Analysis
“Naturally… As any organization moves to improve the customer experience, they’re doing lots of things. If you don’t split the customers up into different batches, or cohorts, then it’s hard to measure the impact,” said Nate. Cohort analysis emerged as a strategic tool for identifying the nuances in customer behavior, allowing for precise tailoring of services and interventions.

Owning the Customer Experience
A pivotal moment was Niek’s call for a personal investment in problem-solving: “Always think as an owner… When you see a problem in a workflow or in a process, don’t lean back and think that somebody else will solve it for you. You should be the customer. You need to feel a sense of ownership over what you do.” This mindset encourages employees to approach challenges with the customer’s perspective at the forefront, ensuring that every solution enhances the customer experience.

The Pursuit of Simplicity and Persistence
Lastly, the conversation turned to the art of crafting customer experiences, with a simple yet striking piece of advice: “Building a beautiful customer experience is often more about being stubborn and not giving up to make change… the grit to power through is more important than the idea.” This sentiment underscored the importance of persistence and simplicity as the cornerstones of customer satisfaction.

These insights from the session reflect the evolving nature of customer-centric strategies in the digital age. They underscore the need for businesses to adopt a mindset of ownership, focus on simplicity, and employ targeted approaches like cohort analysis to truly resonate with their customers. For startups and innovative companies, these lessons are invaluable in building strong, lasting relationships with their customer base and driving sustainable growth.

The session not only provided actionable insights but also a profound appreciation for the attendees’ enthusiasm and commitment to innovation. In gratitude, EDC has honored the panelists with an endangered native tree planted on their behalf as part of its BINHI Communitree program, symbolizing the growth of these ideas within the company and contributing to the nurturing of Philippine biodiversity.