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Great point from my colleague Justin Lokitz
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Being customer-centric isn’t just about killing pain. Blackberry and Palm also did a great job killing pain. Yet, Apple wiped both off the map. Being customer-centric is also about finding and addressing customers’ ambitions, their gains. These are the emotions and desires that customers may not be able to convey directly, until we show them what they’ve been missing. Netflix isn’t just about late fees; it’s about being able to relax (i.e. Netflix and chill). Uber addresses many people’s desire for exclusivity. Apple designs products and experiences that, at their very essence, enable people to feel cool. Amazon, like Netflix, is as much about relaxation (and perhaps, surprise) as it is about customer service. Airbnb addresses people’s desire to feel like locals. Killing pain is what a commodity can do for you. Addressing ambitions paves the way for disruption. Add to that kick-ass business models, like all of the aforementioned examples have, and you have real disruption…at least until the next one comes along.