Deepening relationships with customers has been likened to a "superpower" for New Zealand businesses.
ASB's general manager of design, Sarah Nally, says as Kiwi firms look to re-energise in a post-Covid world it is important to keep customer experience at the core of everything businesses do.
"Why is customer experience so important to long-term success? Customers can help (business owners) understand and appreciate pain points in the business and deepening customer relationships can be a real superpower. Start with customer love," she says.
"This is especially important for small and medium businesses because they are everything to their customers."
Nally says a really simple idea is watching what customers do in a store, where they look first, where they get lost, and understanding the things they are interested in.
"This is the original retail research, and it could be as simple as starting a conversation. You would be amazed at the ideas they have around what's working in a business and what needs improving.
"We know (these) should always be a priority, not just at times like these. It has been extremely tough (the last two years) and it can be tricky to know where to go to next when you're in a little bit of a business rut.
"Many businesses may not have heard of human centred design (HCD) which is something I'm incredibly passionate about," she says. "The reason HCD is so powerful is that it helps in reconnecting with customers, listening to them and finding opportunities for innovation."
Nally says HCD also helps connect with community and like-minded business owners who are on a similar journey. When there is an understanding of the problems a business is trying to solve - or amplifying what's already working - these connections can give energy and help people think differently about their business.
She says there are Facebook groups which, in these Covid times, are a lovely way to connect with your local community and people online.
"I find it helpful to connect with customers who love your products because when they love your product you can see it through fresh eyes and give energy to think about how to potentially promote it more or engage with people in a new way."
"When you're trying to re-energise and looking to amplify what's working that can be a really nice place to start instead of just focusing on the problems."
Nally says one of the best examples of innovation she has observed is a cafe in her local area which changed the focus of its business in response to Covid restrictions.
Faced with having to close down and maybe serve takeaways only saw them think 'this actually works for us, we can do the school drop-offs if we just do takeaways'.
"So, going from a full-service cafe to offering takeaways only has created this positive energy which is working for their customers, their family and has provided a valuable service to the community," Nally says.
"They've flipped the struggle and made it their superpower. It's a nice example of how you can embrace something and make it work."
For more business tips and tools visit the ASB Business Hub asb.co.nz/businesshub