Are you ready to feel vulnerable?

Looking at things from your customers’ perspective might make you uncomfortable.

The most important turning point in our projects is when our clients get to “walk in their customers’ shoes.”

• Managers at a financial services company could feel how their complicated procedures overwhelmed beneficiaries who were mourning the loss of a family member.

• Business and IT execs at a bank had to accept that neither’s vision for a new internal tool would make their employees feel effective.

• Brands with top-quality products realized that their reputations with customers did not match.

Embrace the vulnerability it takes to achieve empathy, and unlock huge opportunities.

Being open to your customers’ perspectives and opinions could end up changing yours, whether you like it or not. You may find that you overlooked something important, or that you need a course correction. In short, you might realize that you did something wrong, and that never feels good. But being open to this vulnerability is what makes empathy possible.

Empathy, in turn, makes it possible to innovate great customer experiences. Once you can see from your customers’ point of view, and feel what they feel, opportunities for improvement become clear. And if you invest in a more empathetic experience than your competitors, your customers will notice. Your brand will become stronger.

As long as you can adapt to what you learn, you can redefine vulnerability as a strength.