How to put customers first in a large organisation

We first started working with PostNL about ten years ago. It began with a few one-off UX tests to optimise their digital products. Gradually, the focus shifted from ​‘testing’ to the strategic organisation of research within PostNL, with the key question being: how can we put the customer at the heart of everything we do?

We’re making PostNL more ​‘UX-mature’ by staying closely involved with their teams. We help them discover what they can do to put the customer even more at the centre of their operations and provide support where needed. Sometimes this involves in-depth context and needs analysis or interviews in the lab. Other times, we simply carry out reviews or deliver training. As well as helping individual teams get started, we also ensure that knowledge is shared across teams – so that they can move forward together.

UX Research
Training & Coaching

Different teams, different approaches

In large organisations, we often find that UX maturity – the extent to which customers are put first – varies from team to team. This means there is no ​‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to helping the whole organisation move forward.

To illustrate: our work for PostNL takes many different forms, as we work with different teams. We carry out usability tests to validate ideas, but we also help refine the online strategy. For some teams, we act as a sparring partner for a few hours a week. For other teams, we carry out larger research projects to uncover customers’ goals, needs and frustrations. We enhance customer journeys. We gather and share insights. And sometimes the PostNL team conducts the research whilst we simply handle the recruitment of participants.

Exactly what we do depends very much on the needs of the various PostNL teams. We help each team wherever necessary. That doesn’t mean that the work we do for one team isn’t meaningful for another. On the contrary: one of the most important aspects of putting the customer first in a large organisation is sharing insights and working methods – everyone can learn from one another.

Moving forward together

We help PostNL teams to share insights and build on each other’s work. We do this in all sorts of ways. Here are a few examples:

#1 Gather all insights in one place
PostNL is constantly conducting UX research. This means they have a vast amount of customer insights. We’ve developed a tool – called Reveall, formerly Sticktail – to ensure that no insights are lost and that everything is gathered in one place. All teams regularly add insights to the platform. What’s more, they use it as a key starting point for developing new ideas: ​‘Let’s have a look in Reveall first to see what we already know about topic X’.

#2 Use templates and a standardised approach
At PostNL, we’ve introduced an outline for user testing, templates and working methods. These are accessible to all teams. So when teams set up a study, they always do so in the same, high-quality way.

#3 Share insights proactively
This one is very practical and old-school. We don’t just add insights to Reveall so that others can find them whenever they want – we also share them proactively. When we think an insight is relevant to other teams, we pop round to tell them about it.

How we help PostNL to do it themselves

By helping our clients become more UX-mature, we ultimately make ourselves redundant. And that is precisely the aim. 

A good example of how we make ourselves redundant is the composition of the team during a research project: when we conduct research, we almost always work alongside a researcher or designer from PostNL. We do this for several reasons:

1. By making PostNL part of the research team, they become even more committed to the research. This ensures that insights are brought to life more effectively within the organisation. After all, people are simply more likely to act on insights if they’ve gathered them themselves. 
    
2. By conducting research together, we can coach PostNL’s researchers and designers ​‘on the job’. We help them improve their UX skills as they go along. The big benefit? The more skilled you are at research, the more likely you are to do it more often. 
    
3. Because PostNL’s researchers and designers are involved, it’s easier to engage the right stakeholders during the project. If we were to go it alone as an external party, that would be a lot more difficult. In other words: by doing it together, we can make a bigger impact.

Tip: find out how UX-mature your organisation is

Becoming more UX-mature as an organisation is a step-by-step process. It requires dedication and patience. Are you wondering where to start? Then take a look at our UX maturity ladder – a handy tool to find out how human-centred your organisation currently is and what you can do to improve it (even further).

As a large organisation, in addition to dedication and patience, you need to embrace the different levels of UX maturity within your teams. Take a close look at where each team stands, find out what they need and help them grow from there. At the same time, it’s important to create a single central hub where all insights and knowledge come together – so that teams can build on each other’s work.

In short: if you’re a large organisation that wants to put the customer first, all you need to do is take a page out of PostNL’s book.