Why People-first Innovation Is Crucial In 2022

Most of us give tacit acknowledgement to the touted value of soft skills: CEOs and executive teams realize the importance of workplace culture for retention and revenue. Brian Chesky, Co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, said, “When the culture is strong, you can trust everyone to do the right thing.” In the general world of technology, however, the focus is usually more on the “how,” than the “who.” Very few leaders can blend innovation with a people-first mentality, but when they do there is a lasting impact. Below, we will analyze three distinct sectors in which client or customer centricity is notably becoming more vital than ever before.

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Healthcare: Improving Patients’ Experiences

The problem is, patients’ expectations of a healthcare experience has changed dramatically. No one wants to wait in a waiting room without digital check in, or hang onto a handwritten appointment time reminder slip. The world of healthcare has gone digital, and everything from electronic health records to patient management is expected to happen online. When a practice is busy caring for patients, it can be impossible to make these strategic upgrades in a timely fashion, which means they fall behind.

One of the new innovative companies changing the narrative is Growthplug, a new platform that helps privately-held or smaller sized medical practices grow and modernize their businesses. It’s well known that medical care providers are well-equipped for healthcare, but less-equipped to facilitate business operations. Without the benefit of operations managers or business directors, most are left to fend for themselves.

They are changing the narrative by providing first, a free assessment of a practice’s online performance, then offering key benefits in the form of a modern web presence, the ability to take and manage appointments online, business management tools and more. Few things are more personal than health, and Growthplug is making it possible for practitioners to offer personalized experiences.

AI: Tools For Measurable Customer Success

In this day and age, a bad customer service experience can ruin a business. Using the megaphone of the Internet, people may leave a company quietly then project their displeasure loudly, and ruinously, before a company even knows they’re gone. It is not a bad thing that consumers have high expectations for how their needs will be met, but for traditional CS methods, it is impossible to predict what customers will do before it is too late.

Much of the customer success (CS) industry began and continued to operate reactively: “why did you leave?” or “what could we have done better?” surveys tell you what happened, but offer little to no detail on “why.”  These questions and many more is what Involve AI discovered which made them design a revolutionary way to provide never-before-seen insights into the customer journey.

By running customer data in the background, involve AI begins to work the moment it is executed, and it improves as it learns (and it learns very fast). Within days, customer success teams all the way up to CEOs have clarity into emerging trends on what does and doesn’t work, and can predict churn well before it happens. This predictive capacity has never been possible before, and as companies dedicate and rededicate to “surprising and delighting customers,” this level of vision is essential.

Agriculture: New Tech for Better Farming

In a tech-heavy age, it’s hard to remember that we are still inevitably tied to the land. Every country’s gross domestic product numbers and economy relies on farmers, most of whom are categorized as “smallholder farmers.” This means that small, family-owned farms are feeding the world. And yet, most of the agriculture technology that helps predict weather patterns, monitor field conditions, and manage business operations has been unavailable to smallholder farmers.

Dimitra, a groundbreaking agricultural technology platform that has risen to meteoric heights in both awareness and adoption around the world. Their resources and application are specifically aimed to meet the needs of smallholder farmers. This group of farmers is responsible for 29% of the world’s crops, and entire communities in developing countries rely on them for food stability. And yet, most agricultural technology resources, weather tracking resources, and data analysis platforms are geared toward large-scale farming operations.

Dimitra seeks to change the narrative, putting tech in the hands of farmers who need key insights on weather patterns, soil conditions, livestock breeding or health, and more. What’s more, founder Jon Trask and his team get on the ground, with representatives going in person to countries, teaching smallholders farmers to use this technology, sync up with satellites for better data mapping, and equipping them with daily practices that enhance the production of their farms. This is people-first business at its best: the Dimitra Academy launched this year, too, creating an educational opportunity for smallholders farmers to get much-needed instruction, learning not just the planting or raising, but also the business of feeding the world.

Conclusion

The old adage that “customers know best,” has never gone out of fashion for a reason: it’s true. People’s perceptions as they buy things, operate their businesses, run farms or serve medical patients is at stake. In many instances, smaller or mid-sized companies have been left in the dust, without the resources to implement a giant tech stack or upgrade to innovative solutions. In 2022, there has been a rise in industry leaders who are paving the way for all-around better business practices that put people first. Hopefully, this wave of innovation will continue to mature.