The customer, the employees and the suppliers.

Each one of them can present a different point of view and a different perspective. So how do you go on about gathering this information?

Well, the answer is to just ASK.

Let’s begin with the customers. They can give you their experience with your product and suggest how you could improve the customer experience. They can also provide you with what to modify and how to optimize the product or services.

You have to listen carefully, not only keep them satisfied. You have to especially listen the unhappy ones. These unhappy customers are your best source of getting information as they are more likely to provide you with information that can actually improve your goods or services. 

By taking their feedback, the customer also feels like they are being valued. This is a plus point of this whole interaction. A customer who feels like they were personally catered to is more likely to come back.

Onto the second source for gathering new ideas, the employers.

You should take time to speak to them one by one, this will allow you to gain a unique perspective of your company from within. Just like how the customers are more satisfied by being listened to, so will the employees. You should be willing to listen to them and remove any ounce of doubt or hesitance from their minds regarding their place of employment.

Obviously, they have their own view of the company, but with their unique perspective, they can give you solid advice on how to better improve the company or the product.

After collecting everyone’s opinion, it’s time for you and your team to brainstorm together. 

An open table where all ideas are discussed and developed. Starting brainstorming sessions will improve communication in your company and will enhance the relationships. This will solidify the structure of the company itself.

Your third source of information is the supplier. They have a different perspective of the market as well. They have relations with businesses within the same market, and they can give you insight that you need to improve the quality, reduce the costs and optimize the production process. 

They can help guide you with aspects that you had not considered changing before.

With all the information now gathered, you have to utilize it by applying it in an effective and productive way. Make the necessary changes, and make your client or potential clients know what is happening in your company and how the company is improving to provide a better experience for them.

The above-stated sources of information don’t only help you generate new ideas. If used, they can also help create a better functioning company that has a trusting relationship with its customers and a prosperous one with its suppliers. Combined together, this will lead to growth in the long run.

The ideas mentioned above are an excellent way for a business to develop and grow, and all this won’t even cost a penny.