People before product. This is an important lesson taught by Steve Jobs who passed away Wednesday, October 5.
Steve Jobs created a culture of innovation.
His attitude of putting the customer and people first, changed the way we communicate today not only on a personal level but also on a business level.
The needs of consumers are what drove product development. By listening to what it was people wanted, Apple was able to deliver products that would exceed expectations.
This strategy is one that led to enhanced business innovation.
Through the advancement of computers, smartphones and tablets, society has become more agile. Business is able to be done in real time and teams are now meeting virtually, or in the cloud. Collaboration is changed by the ability to reach out to colleagues and make decisions from locations other than places with a ceiling and four walls.
People are benefiting dramatically from this mobility. Moms can now work from home and still be home with their children. Businesses reduce costs by cutting unnecessary overhead. And society benefits from the fewer cars on the road by eliminating the commute to and from the office.
With the development of mobile devices, came the development of cloud technology, which further led businesses to be able to be mobile.
In the first generation of this cloud technology, solutions were innovated to solve specific business needs, such as document sharing or web/video conferencing. From something as simple as putting email on a smartphone, or as advanced as being able to see a web/video conference on their tablet while in an airport, solutions popped up for these revolutionary devices. And again, the nature in which we do business changed.
The need for these solutions were great, but with such a variety of single solution offerings, businesses were encountered with a new problem of administrative headaches from multiple programs and bills to manage. And innovators listened. Following the strategy of Steve Jobs, people, again, came before products.
The development of the next generation of solutions that will make doing business easier is almost here, and businesses will soon be able to get back to what they do best.
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