an agile transformation does not make a customer-centric organization

Noor Schopman

Head of Client Consulting

29 Apr 2021

2 min read

Organizations have been experimenting with agile working for years. Various teams embrace the working method, a number of projects are approached in an agile manner and in this way an agile transformation is slowly being prepared. The real agile transformation is ultimately often a top-down affair. Nothing wrong with that.

Except that the high expectations about customer focus are usually not fulfilled. Precisely because working methods already differed enormously before the agile transformation, you simply cannot expect that a top-down transformation process offers an answer to this. And that while standardization and cooperation between teams and departments are essential for successful customer-centric work. The entire organization works on the same service or for the same customers, or even both. It almost goes without saying that working for a customer journey and customer group is a lot more difficult if everyone does it in a different way. And yet that is what is happening.

deliver customer value faster, but how? 

Once the agile transformation has been completed, questions arise about how the new agile organization actually combines with working from customer journeys. The agile transformation is not an end in itself, but a means to deliver customer value faster.

How do you do that with customer journeys? If each department defines its own customer journey at a different level of detail, you can bet that the departments are achieving their goal, but the customer is not.

It is clear: you cannot arrange this in the blink of an eye or just with agile. This takes time, focus, commitment, and a little help from Essense.

customer-centric organization through maximum connection

Tribes, squads, segments agile teams: they all work on the same customer journeys. Sometimes it seems as if putting the customer first mainly affects designers and customer journey experts. Nothing is less true. The entire organization has to come along; the customer is central to the cooperation between all disciplines. From operation to marketing, from onboarding to support and from development to design. Customer-centric working is a development process that relies entirely on integrated, organisation-wide collaboration.

Curious how we do that? Please contact us at hello@essense.eu. Because an agile transformation does not make a customer-centric organization, but it is a fantastic starting point to quickly and efficiently deliver customer value. We are happy to work with you.

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Curious how we do this?

Please contact us at hello@essense.eu. An agile transformation does not make a customer-centric organization, but it is a great starting point to deliver customer value quickly and efficiently. We are happy to work with you.

Noor Schopman

Head of Client Consulting

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