Adam Coughran

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Devising simple ways to make the customer journey more seamless can keep customers coming back long term. In today’s competitive business landscape, the devil is in the details. With so many businesses competing for customers in both online and brick-and-mortar spaces, setting a business apart boils down to the customer experience strategy. If done incorrectly, businesses risk inadvertently driving away current and potential customers and ruining their reputation for good.  However, if done with care and regard for the needs of customers, businesses can rise above their competitors, even if they are offering similar products or services. To help leaders create a competitive advantage, 17 Newsweek Expert Forum members discuss how leaders can improve their company’s customer experience.

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Focusing on how a potential offering makes sense for the business as a whole can help guide efficient product development. Before any new product or service is rolled out on the market, entrepreneurs put a considerable amount of thought into the process. From considerations regarding the effective use of resources to discussions of whether the offering will resonate with the target audience, these are just a few of the factors that impact decision making. While entrepreneurs strive to proceed with care, some still make the fatal mistake of getting too far into the development process without having a clear understanding of where this offering fits into the bigger picture. To prevent businesses from wasting limited time, effort and money, 13 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one question leaders should ask to determine whether a prospective product or service is in line with their company mission and goals. 

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While every organization’s location, circumstances and risks vary widely, there are several basic security strategies that can begin to pave the path to a more secure work environment.

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Relying more on the help of others can reduce the strain entrepreneurship places on leaders. Business leaders carry the weight of their organizations on their shoulders. In addition to ensuring ideas come to fruition and customers are satisfied, executives also have the added pressure of ensuring employee needs are being met. These priorities can place a considerable strain on a leader even in times when a business is fairing well. Rather than accepting that burnout may be an ever-present downside to entrepreneurship, leaders can begin shifting the operations of their businesses to move out of that mindset. Relying more on the people who help run the business can help, but executives have to be ready to make active changes in their lives. Below, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum offer expert advice on how executives can begin moving in the right direction again after feeling burned out.

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The wide adoption of technology for communication is proving that there is a considerable need for virtual networking tools. The connections built between people can create bonds that drive success for both individuals and organizations. Though the formation and maintenance of these connections has been completely transformed over the past year and a half, the strength of those bonds still holds true. The wide adoption of video conferencing software like Zoom has shown that regardless of the obstacle—be it a global pandemic or a considerable distance—there is a great need for more virtual options in the world we live in today.  Expanding the ways in which people can connect in an increasingly digital world means that the future of connecting may be uncertain, but examining the changes that have taken place so far can offer valuable insight. Below, 13 members of Newsweek Expert Forum members share their expert predictions on how networking will look in the future and how leaders can begin preparing for changes now.

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If you're concerned about meeting fatigue among your remote workforce, try these strategies to ensure each virtual gathering has a clear purpose. The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted work culture in several lasting ways, including the growth of work-from-home arrangements. As companies begin to embrace smaller physical office locations and the workforce's ability to work from home, the road and other places, new challenges arise. Between a constant flow of meetings and life distractions, employees can easily start to burn out and feel "Zoom fatigue." One way to address this is by ensuring every meeting held is intentional, purposeful and engaging for all attendees. Below, members of Newsweek Expert Forum share insights for how they believe leaders can improve meetings and make sure each one held is worthwhile.