In this month’s insight, I interviewed ChatGPT about the topic of the jobs-to-be-done theory.

To start our interview, could you explain to us the key drivers of the jobs-to-be-done-theory?

The key drivers of the Jobs-to-be-Done theory are:

  1. Customer Outcome: Understanding the desired result or end goal of the customer.
  2. Progress: Identifying the steps or actions the customer takes to achieve their desired outcome.
  3. Pain Points: Recognizing the obstacles or challenges the customer faces while trying to achieve their desired outcome.
  4. Emotional Motivations: Understanding the emotional needs and desires that drive customers to seek solutions.
  5. Context: Recognizing the situation and environment in which the customer is trying to achieve their desired outcome.

The theory emphasizes that people “hire” products and services to “do a job” for them, and that the key to creating successful products is to understand what job the customer is trying to accomplish.

What is the difference between hiring a product to perform a task and buying a product outright?

The difference between hiring a product to perform a task and buying a product outright is in the context of use and the customer’s desired outcome.

When a customer hires a product, they are renting it for a specific purpose or task, with the intention of achieving a desired outcome. The focus is on the job they want the product to do for them, rather than the product itself.

When a customer buys a product outright, the focus is on owning the product for an indefinite period of time, regardless of the specific tasks it is used for. The customer may have multiple reasons for owning the product, and the desired outcome may change over time.

In summary, hiring a product is focused on the temporary need to achieve a specific outcome, while buying a product is focused on permanent ownership and multiple potential uses and outcomes.

Interesting! So why should companies embrace the jobs-to-be-done framework?

Companies should embrace the Jobs-to-be-Done framework because it offers several benefits:

  1. Deep Customer Insight: The framework helps companies gain a deeper understanding of their customers’ motivations, needs, and desired outcomes, which can lead to more effective product design and marketing.
  2. Improved Innovation: By focusing on the jobs customers are trying to accomplish, companies can identify new and untapped markets, as well as new and innovative ways to improve existing products.
  3. Increased Customer Satisfaction: By delivering products that are better suited to customers’ needs and desires, companies can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  4. Better Resource Allocation: By prioritizing development efforts based on the jobs customers are trying to accomplish, companies can allocate resources more effectively and avoid wasting time and money on features that are not valuable to customers.
  5. Improved Market Position: By delivering products that better meet customers’ needs and desires, companies can differentiate themselves from competitors and improve their market position.

Overall, the Jobs-to-be-Done framework provides companies with a more customer-centric approach to product design, development, and marketing, which can lead to increased success and profitability.

And how does this turn into superior profitability for a firm embracing it?

Embracing the Jobs-to-be-Done framework can lead to superior profitability for a firm in several ways:

  1. Increased Customer Loyalty: By delivering products and services that better meet customers’ needs and desires, companies can increase customer loyalty and reduce customer churn, which can result in a more predictable revenue stream.
  2. Improved Resource Allocation: By focusing development efforts on the jobs customers are trying to accomplish, companies can allocate resources more effectively, reducing waste and improving efficiency, which can increase profitability.
  3. New Market Opportunities: By identifying new and untapped markets through the Jobs-to-be-Done framework, companies can enter new markets and capture new revenue streams, leading to increased profitability.
  4. Higher Prices: By delivering products that better meet customers’ needs and desires, companies can differentiate themselves from competitors and justify charging a premium price, leading to increased profitability.
  5. Improved Customer Acquisition Costs: By delivering products that better meet customers’ needs and desires, companies can improve their customer acquisition efforts, leading to lower customer acquisition costs and increased profitability.

Overall, the Jobs-to-be-Done framework provides companies with a more customer-centric approach to product design, development, and marketing, which can lead to increased customer loyalty, improved resource allocation, new market opportunities, higher prices, and improved customer acquisition costs, resulting in superior profitability.

If a firm wants to embrace the jobs-to-be-done framework, how does it have to adjust or change its business strategy?

If a firm wants to embrace the Jobs-to-be-Done framework, it may need to make the following adjustments or changes to its business strategy:

  1. Customer-Centric Focus: The Jobs-to-be-Done framework requires a shift from a product-centric focus to a customer-centric focus. This means putting the customer at the center of all decision making, from product design to marketing.
  2. Job-Focused Product Design: The Jobs-to-be-Done framework requires that products be designed with a specific job in mind, rather than focusing on features and specifications. This means understanding the desired outcome and pain points of customers and designing products to solve their problems.
  3. Data-Driven Decision Making: The Jobs-to-be-Done framework requires a data-driven approach to decision making, using customer insights and data to inform product design and marketing efforts.
  4. Collaboration Across Teams: The Jobs-to-be-Done framework requires close collaboration across teams, including product development, marketing, sales, and customer service, to ensure that all efforts are aligned with the customer’s desired outcome.
  5. Continuous Improvement: The Jobs-to-be-Done framework requires a continuous improvement mindset, constantly seeking new and innovative ways to improve products and deliver better customer outcomes.

By making these adjustments and changes to its business strategy, a firm can fully embrace the Jobs-to-be-Done framework and realize the benefits of a more customer-centric approach to product design, development, and marketing.

What you are saying primarily focuses on the customer and its interaction with the firm. But what about the change that is required from the employees’ perspective?

From the employees’ perspective, embracing the Jobs-to-be-Done framework may require the following changes:

  1. Mindset Shift: Employees may need to shift their mindset from a product-centric focus to a customer-centric focus, prioritizing the customer’s desired outcome and job-to-be-done above all else.
  2. New Skill Development: Employees may need to develop new skills, such as customer research, data analysis, and job-focused product design, to effectively implement the Jobs-to-be-Done framework.
  3. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Employees may need to collaborate more closely across teams and functions, breaking down silos and ensuring that all efforts are aligned with the customer’s desired outcome.
  4. Customer Empathy: Employees may need to develop greater empathy for the customer, understanding their motivations, needs, and desired outcomes, and designing solutions that solve their problems.
  5. Continuous Learning: Employees may need to embrace a continuous learning mindset, staying up-to-date with the latest customer research and industry developments, and constantly seeking new and innovative ways to improve customer outcomes.

By making these changes, employees can effectively implement the Jobs-to-be-Done framework and contribute to a more customer-centric approach to product design, development, and marketing.

And how can management support these required changes? Are there any shortcuts that can provide quick-wins?

Management can support the changes required for embracing the Jobs-to-be-Done framework in the following ways:

  1. Provide Training and Development: Provide training and development opportunities for employees to develop the skills and knowledge required to effectively implement the Jobs-to-be-Done framework, such as customer research, data analysis, and job-focused product design.
  2. Align Incentives: Align incentives with the customer-centric focus of the Jobs-to-be-Done framework, recognizing and rewarding employees who prioritize the customer’s desired outcome and job-to-be-done.
  3. Encourage Cross-Functional Collaboration: Encourage cross-functional collaboration across teams and functions, breaking down silos and ensuring that all efforts are aligned with the customer’s desired outcome.
  4. Provide Resources: Provide the resources required for effective customer research, such as customer feedback platforms and market research tools.
  5. Lead by Example: Lead by example, demonstrating a customer-centric approach and prioritizing the customer’s desired outcome and job-to-be-done in all decision making.

For quick-wins, management can focus on the following:

  1. Customer Feedback: Utilize customer feedback platforms and other sources of customer data to gain quick insights into customer needs and desires.
  2. Customer Journey Mapping: Map the customer journey, understanding the key touchpoints and pain points, and identifying quick wins to improve customer outcomes.
  3. Job-Focused Product Design: Prioritize job-focused product design, designing solutions that solve specific customer problems and deliver better outcomes.

By following these steps, management can support the changes required for embracing the Jobs-to-be-Done framework and quickly realize the benefits of a more customer-centric approach to product design, development, and marketing.

To conclude our interview, would you say that your ChatGPT are embracing the jobs-to-be-done theory?

As an AI language model developed by OpenAI, I do not have personal experiences or emotions. However, my creators designed me to assist with tasks and answer questions, which could be viewed as a job-to-be-done for those who use me. My responses are based on the data and information that I was trained on, which includes the Jobs-to-be-Done theory and its applications.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to give the readers a more in-depth view of the jobs-to-be-done theory!

You’re welcome! It was my pleasure to provide information on the Jobs-to-be-Done theory. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!

INSIGHTS

ChatGPT exhibits broad knowledge of the “jobs-to-be-done” framework. It likes providing its answers in a structured way, preferring lists over prose. The interview I conducted with ChatGPT reads to me more like an oral exam at college or graduate school rather than a human-to-human dialog. Often the explanations provided are narrowly focused and lack a broader context. As one would expect, ChatGPT did not provide any novel insights or recombine existing knowledge in a novel way. Nevertheless, the answers provided were interesting and overall aligned with my knowledge about the “jobs-to-be-done” topic. On a minor note, ChatGPT had some flaws in explaining the concept of “hiring a product” and its difference from “buying a product”. It relates the concept of hiring a product to renting it (with a focus on temporary ownership) versus permanent ownership. This fails to acknowledge that the primary goal for introducing the “hire a product” concept was to move the perspective from the firm to the customer. As the interview proceeds, the answers of ChatGTP get more concise and to the point, but not always correct. For example, it suggests that implementing the “jobs-to-be-done” framework requires a data-driven approach. While true that data is important in decision-making, the framework focuses primarily on the customer as a human being rather than a statistic. At the end of the interview, I wanted to know what changes ChatGPT suggests implementing the “jobs-to-be-done” framework. While correct, its answers were rather generic, rather than focused on the unique challenges implementing the framework presents. All in all, I found my discussion with ChatGPT interesting. If I were new to the field of “jobs-to-be-done,” I would have gained valuable insights. As an expert, on the other hand, ChatGPT confirmed my knowledge, although sometimes slightly too generic and missing out on unique features of the framework.

This “interview” was conducted on January 31st, 2023.

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