Not hearing from your employees enough?
Jump-start their thought process and get the conversation going by asking them some questions directly. Whether goals of the company, problems you’re facing, or general challenges for feedback, your employees have ideas that they’re ready to share. There should be an employee engagement. Give them an invitation to speak up.
Here are a few questions you can pose to your employees to get them involved in innovation company-wide.
Revenue Generation –
How can we improve sales of product A by 10% in 6 months?
What features can we add to improve satisfaction with Product B?
How can we better price-package our product and service offerings?
Customer Relations –
What can we do to reduce customer complaints about Product D?
How can we reduce time spent on support phone calls?
How can we increase customer referrals by 20% next quarter?
Cost Cutting –
What can we do to reduce production time of Product D by 10%?
How can we lower costs during distribution and shipping?
What productivity tools can we implement to save time in the office?
Culture Improvements –
What perks would you like to see added in the next 6 months?
Which areas would you like to see more opportunities for training?
How can we create a better work environment for you?
Asking “what can we do better?” is no longer enough. Point your employees in the right direction with a bit of context, promote constructive conversations, and start getting the ideas you need from those closest to your products and customers.
But don’t see this as a pass to ignore “spontaneous” ideas – the ones that come naturally, the “aha” moments. Those types of ideas should be valued and follow the same evaluation process as those in direct response to specific questions, but for a company looking to expand employee involvement in innovation, a little push in the right direction could be all they need.
Still, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Without top management ready and willing to take action on the employee feedback and ideas you’ll get from these challenges and questions, you could do more harm than good. No one wants to hear “that’s a great idea!” and never see or hear anything from it again.
Don’t let this scare you – just commit! Whether through a brainstorming session or digital innovation management platform, dedicate the time and resources your employees need to participate in innovation. These are just a few questions to get them thinking, talking, and validating their ideas and assumptions, but committing to the practice has the potential to truly change how your company innovates.
Looking to better manage the Ideas of your Employees? Check out our innovation software.