You’re a Service Operations executive. How can you keep up with industry trends?

2 Read industry publications

Another way to keep up with industry trends is to read publications that provide credible and up-to-date information on service operations. You can subscribe to journals, magazines, blogs, or newsletters that cover topics such as service design, service quality, service innovation, service delivery, service management, or service analytics. You can also follow industry leaders, analysts, consultants, or researchers who publish articles, reports, books, or case studies on service operations. By reading industry publications, you can stay informed, educated, and inspired by the latest research, developments, and trends.

3 Take online courses

A third way to keep up with industry trends is to take online courses that can help you enhance your skills, knowledge, and competencies in service operations. You can enroll in courses that offer certifications, degrees, or diplomas in service operations or related fields. You can also take courses that focus on specific topics, tools, or techniques that can help you improve your service performance, such as service blueprinting, service measurement, service improvement, service automation, or service innovation. By taking online courses, you can update your qualifications, expand your horizons, and boost your confidence.

4 Experiment with new ideas

A fourth way to keep up with industry trends is to experiment with new ideas that can help you create value for your customers, employees, and stakeholders. You can use design thinking, lean startup, or agile methods to identify customer needs, generate solutions, test assumptions, and iterate quickly. You can also use data, analytics, or artificial intelligence to optimize your service processes, predict customer behavior, or personalize your service offerings. By experimenting with new ideas, you can discover new opportunities, solve problems, and differentiate yourself from the competition.

5 Seek feedback and advice

A fifth way to keep up with industry trends is to seek feedback and advice from your customers, employees, partners, or mentors. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or reviews to collect customer feedback on your service quality, satisfaction, or loyalty. You can also use performance reviews, employee engagement surveys, or suggestion boxes to collect employee feedback on your service culture, leadership, or improvement. You can also use partnerships, collaborations, or mentorships to seek advice from your suppliers, distributors, or industry experts. By seeking feedback and advice, you can learn from your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as improve your service strategy, operations, and outcomes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?