The Retelling of The MVE Story

The Innovation Inquirers all started when Ronni Gaun 💫 and I spent some time exploring a topic that those in #customersuccess may find interesting.

The Why

We often talk about the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) in terms of getting a new idea into the hands of our customers. But what works for showcasing the potential for a revolutionary product concept doesn’t work for your customers overall success journey. Think about it. When you test a prototype, you often test many different versions, most ending up in the trash. In this day and age where experience and positive customer sentiment are so critical, the experience that comes with interacting with your Organization AND your Product, often becomes the differentiation.

The What

As you may have already guessed, the differentiator mentioned in our ‘Why Post’, linked below, is the concept of the MVE (Minimum Viable Experience) framework; bringing focus to the entire customer experience that paves the path to value before the MVP is introduced to the market. This isn’t accomplished in the traditional customer journey and prescribed cadence. Instead, the Customer Success Manager cultivates an experience of inclusion that endorses the customer’s contribution as a co-creator of the Product.

Can this be successfully implemented?

Enter The How

Above, we introduced the “Why” and the ‘What” of the relationship between MVP Minimal Viable Product) & MVE (Minimal Viable Experience). This is one idea that we propose for “How” your Customer Success organization can make this actionable.

Although the steps and activities below are consistent with typical CS activities, the differentiator is with the timing.

A CSM extends the MVP definition (product focus) to the end-to-end customer experience through an MVE by:

✔Consistently evaluating customer sentiment as it relates to each element of the value pyramid — functional, emotional, life changing and social impact

✔Clearly communicating what will be taking place during each step of the process

✔Reinforcing the benefits early and often

✔Keeping the customer positive while the product evolves

✔Managing a system for measuring feedback and progress, allowing course correction along the way