The Tortoise and the Hare is a classic children's story featuring themes of speed, over-confidence, tenacity, and just desserts. The hare boasted that his speed was unmatched, and took for granted the tortoise's slow-and-steady pace. Yet the tortoise's determination and resolve to finish allowed him to beat the hare to the finish line, who had fallen asleep.
What does this have to do with digital strategy? Everything. The digital revolution is upon us, and customers have high expectations. And most companies' strategies sit along a spectrum between tortoise and hare. Some companies choose to act like the hare, quickly launching programs without regard for their effect on customer relationships or the bottom line. Others are as slow as the tortoise, taking a long time to decide how best to meet customer needs in the digital age. Some go so far as to be paralyzed by fear of making the wrong decision. In these cases, neither will win the race for digital customers.
Successful companies take the best parts of each animal – the hare's speed and the tortoise's focus – to develop digital strategies and programs that are quick to meet customers' needs in a relevant and impactful way. In this issue, we profile innovative mobile and digital initiatives at GM, MasterCard, Aetna, for example. And for additional insight, we share methodology around digital customer experience maturity, and present research findings on mobile customer experience gaps across a variety of industries.
The one difference between the fable and customer strategy is that there is no finish line. Customer needs and technology constantly evolve. So what's important is the approach your company takes to run the race, wherever it takes you. Otherwise your customers will certainly outrun you.
Be the Tortoise. And the Hare.
