Brunei Darussalam (4 April 2013) – For Bess Perfect, one of the leading property agencies in Brunei, this was the first time an innovation workshop was conducted for them. Held at the company’s premises, this session was aimed at enabling management and staff to look at their business with new eyes through Consulus’ business design approach.
Participants were invited to share their hopes and concerns so as to encourage sharing of business concerns and vision. Workshop leader, Roy Chen, Senior Strategy Consultant at Consulus, then led the group through a series of slides which emphasised the need for a fresh mindset in order to approach customer service from new angles.
Through lively anecdotes and stories from Consulus’s experience in the region, Chen highlighted three common challenges plaguing Asian companies which result in poor performance:
- Poor Internal Collaboration: The need to develop a roadmap so as to improve internal collaboration. Without such a roadmap, team members within the organisation will not know how best to collaborate for business success.
- Lack of Brand Experience: The real estate business tend to be transactional and there is a lot of opportunity for innovation. It is important to combine the dual perspectives of business and design so as to shape a more personal and creative experience for customers.
- Lack of Invention: Asian firms need to have the courage to imagine different approaches to doing business and offering solutions. In the case of the real estate business, there has to be more internal communication so as to redefine the relationship with the customer.
The participants then engaged in a thought-providing exercise to reflect on the meaning and purpose of the company using Consulus’ proprietary 3-state model. The exercise required participants to reflect on the unique abilities of the company, deeply held beliefs and the difference that the business brings to the market. This was the first time the management and staff came together to reflect deeply on the role and impact of the brand on staff, customers and industry.
Facilitators from Consulus share examples to participants as they reflect on the meaning and purpose of their brand.
Participants presenting their thoughts on the company’s brand model.
The second exercise invited participants to re-imagine the desired service experience when engaging their clients. Through a combination of pictures and videos, Chen showed how design, when used in the context of business, has the power to decide price, drive emotions and leave an indelible mark in the hearts of people.
Participants discussing the details of the service experience.
The participants had lively discussions on what they imagined the brand service experience can be. There were numerous engaging moments and most were surprised at how far they could bring the brand if they put their minds to it.
“We learn a lot on how we deal with our client,” Felice Han, Marketing Manager at Bess Perfect, shared.
“It’s nice to have something like this for the growth of the company. The workshop was really useful and we learned a lot. The speaker helped us in understanding what we need,” Joanne Cristabel R. Sumadsad, Architect at Bess Perfect, said.
Ms. Atim Toapanya, Managing Director at Bess Perfect, felt that the workshop was a great exercise in team work. Concluding the session, Chen shared that through the discussions, most groups were able to highlight a core competency of the company and know what is expected from them to bring the company forward.
Participants’ feedback reinforced the importance of this workshop in rethinking the growth of the company.
About the Shape the World Discovery Series
An introductory workshop on branding for senior and middle management leaders seeking new perspectives on how to transform their business models and experiences. The workshop is conducted based on a proprietary approach by Consulus called business design. The approach is a double-barreled formula combining the power of business thinking and the magic of design. This enables business leaders to think creatively about their strategy. STW Discovery Workshops has been conducted for organisations in Brunei, Myanmar, New York, Philippines and Singapore.
Shape the World Discovery is an initiative of Shape the World Conference.
