“Each product and every service receives brutally direct and rapid feedback in our digital world – from usage data sometimes right up to a shitstorm,” Hegge said. This gives the company an immediate impression of what’s going on in their customers’ minds. But many companies first have to learn how to deal with the digital echo. “Many people see this immediacy as a threat. In reality it’s an incredibly useful tool that allows businesses to react before the customer changes their mind.”
Product innovations can also be developed in a more tailor-made way. Where there was great uncertainty in the past about whether a product will gain market acceptance, despite market analysis, today’s feedback loops facilitate a considerably more exact analysis of customer needs. But, given the diversity of customer feedback, is there not the danger of fragmentation? “Of course,” Hegge concedes. “And that’s why it is so important to be clear about this as a business: What does my company represent? What is our main customer benefit? Where do I see our position in the market, and what are our strategies? A business that really understands itself is able to distinguish relevant from irrelevant criticism.”