5 Ways to Identify Unmet Customer Needs
Are you looking for ways to promote innovation within your company? Then this article
is for you! Today’s economy is built on meeting customer demand as quickly as possible
– not just for products but also for experiences.

With our groundbreaking five ways to
identify unmet customer needs, you can be
proactive about understanding and providing
customers with personalized experiences that
meet their desired outcomes.
1. Mapping Out Your Customer Journey
Mapping out your customer journey is the perfect way to identify unmet customer needs.
By looking at a customer's entire experience when engaging with your product or service,
you can pinpoint friction points and areas for improvement. Taking it one step further,
you're not just patching existing holes; instead, you can eliminate the pain associated with
purchasing your products and services altogether.
2. Listening to the Voice-of-Customer
Asking your users about their experiences and preferences when using your product can
uncover a wealth of insights that can improve design, marketing, and service. Asking key
questions such as "What do you think is the biggest issue with product X?" or "How
satisfied are you with our service?" can help identify areas for improvement.

Rather than merely making assumptions on how to serve your customers best, listening to
the Voice-of-Customer facilitates a genuine understanding of what they need most from
your product or service.
3. Jobs-to-be-Done Method
Jobs-to-be-Done isn't just any innovation theory; it's an almost
guaranteed pathway to uncover markets of unmet desires that
present near-limitless potential. This method defines customer
needs around the jobs they're trying to get done rather than just
analyzing customer characteristics.

Businesses detect which of their customers' desires are most
important yet least satisfied. Jobs-to-be-Done method eliminates
guesswork and creates powerful opportunities for an outcome-
driven innovation strategy for the long-term success of your company. Visit
https://strategyn.com/innovation-strategy/ to learn more about innovation strategy.
4. Adopt Lean Principles
Adopting Lean principles is a great way to identify unmet customer needs. This approach
focuses on maximizing the value customers are willing to pay for while eliminating
waste. Adopting Lean Principles allows businesses to cut costs while keeping their
customers satisfied, resulting in a healthier bottom line. The two essential aspects of
Lean, continuous improvement and respect for people, help improve workplace
efficiency and create meaningful and successful customer experiences.
5. Competitor Analysis
By carefully evaluating how other businesses in your sector are reaching their customers,
you can gain essential new insights into what types of frustrations and desires could drive
your customers. Perhaps most valuable is the opportunity to connect with any unique or
innovative approaches that have been successful for rival companies—allowing you to
stay ahead of the competition and differentiate yourself from them in customers' eyes.
Competitor analysis should appear high on any methods used to identify unmet customer
needs.
Stay Ahead of the Competition
By taking the time to understand your customers' unmet needs, you can develop a product
that nobody else is offering. It will not only put you ahead of your competition and result
in happier customers and increased sales. Using these five methods, you can arm yourself
with the knowledge of what services or products your customers may need that they don’t
even know about yet.