Innovation in Service Design

I think a very visible observation at this year's Restaurant Show was logical tech instead of theoretical. There was less "glimpses into the future" and more "proof of concept." Here's one of those in action: For two and a half years, Wingstop has worked on a new Smart Kitchen that forecasts demand in 15-minute increments, telling the store how many wings to drop. The system takes into account more than 300 variables tailored to each unit, like weather, sales trends, and sports. It also features digital touch-screen displays at every work station instead of paper chits and an order-ready screen at the front so consumers can keep up with their order. Another feature: there are now sticker print outs that identify what flavors are in each package. At restaurants where the technology has been installed, wait times have been cut in half to about 10 minutes, and there have been notable improvements in guest satisfaction, accuracy, consistency, and employee turnover. In the delivery channel, Wingstop has been able to show up in under 30 minutes. Why is this important? Shorter wait times allow the brand to become a greater consideration. Instead of serving as a destination—with an average frequency of just three times per quarter and once a month—the quicker service could entice guests to visit more often, especially during on-the-go periods like the afternoon daypart. The Wingstop Smart Kitchen is in 400 restaurants and the chain hopes to complete the rollout by the end of the year. Again, real-time innovation in the back of the house. That seems to be the battleground right now. More here: https://lnkd.in/eMHMUkmZ

It’s one of the most radical changes AI agents bring to financial services - and yet it’s barely discussed. Financial services have historically been built around systems, processes, and workflows: • Products, pricing, and journeys were designed upfront with little room for variation. • Decisioning relied on fixed rules and batch processing. • Customer understanding was fragmented across systems with no coherent view. As a result, the 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 has always reflected system capabilities vs. customer needs: • Broadcast-first: one message to many customers • Limited channels used for different things: transaction alerts, compliance notifications, marketing campaigns, etc. • Personalization limited to basic variables (name, balance threshold, segment). 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝘁-𝘂𝗽: • Real-time, contextual, continuously updated decisions • Intelligence embedded directly into customer flows • Systems that trigger and execute actions automatically And that changes communication too, as it now needs to be part of the decision loop: • Context-aware (driven by what happened) • Intent-aware (based on the customer’s purpose) • Adaptive (messages change based on response) • Channel-native (tone, format, and interaction adapted per channel) • Two-way by default 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: Move from broadcast messaging to agentic, intelligence-driven communication. • Millions of customers • Each receiving: 1) The right message 2) At the right time 3) On the right channel 4) With the right next action Examples: • Response-driven fraud warnings • Payment reminders adjusted by timing and tone • Adaptive onboarding flows Players today need communication platforms that can execute across channels, at scale and in real time. Sinch is one such example acting as the execution layer between internal systems and customer-facing interactions: • Multi-channel message delivery based on system and agent instructions. • High message volumes • Two-way interactions, feeding customer responses back into automated flows 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁: • One-way interactions are a thing of the past. Sinch data shows that nearly one in three consumers find them annoying. • AI is already creating new types of communication • Agent-to-agent communication is likely to be the next major shift 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: What are the biggest showstoppers preventing mass communication from scaling? Opinions: my own, Graphic sources: BCG, Panagiotis Kriaris #SinchPartner https://lnkd.in/d5wT5tNQ

Mastering Omnichannel Payments 💡 At its core, omnichannel payments is the ability to recognize customers, securely store credentials, cover all relevant payment use cases and payment methods with a common experience, and provide a single set of data and dashboard services to the merchant. Omnichannel payments is not a complex concept, but many PSPs and merchants struggle with infrastructure designed around a single channel, or disparate infrastructure resulting from acquisitions. We see omnichannel payments as driven by a handful of foundational principles: 1️⃣ For small merchants, it just has to be easy: Frictionless integration into the merchants' SaaS (WooCommerce plugins, etc.), single dashboard, single point of service, single set of settlement flows, etc. 2️⃣ For enterprise merchants, you also need a unified payment proposition … 🔹 Technical Integration Toolkit: a common set of technical tools (documentation, support, etc.), even if payment channels involve different APIs 🔹 Cross-channel tokenization: single tokenization service for recognizing customers across channels and, as needed, securely storing, and presenting the customer’s payment credentials 🔹 Settlement & Treasury: Automated and unified reconciliation across these channels achieved by the customers’ bank account harmonized in one single database 🔹 Data: Single data service with consolidated reporting for transactions across different channels and ideally, value-added analytics on customer behaviors 🔹 Commercial, relationship management: Single point of contact for account servicing, a common commercial and contracting model, and unified billing 3️⃣ … and for enterprise merchants, the PSP must enable all the relevant omnichannel use cases and transacting platforms: 🔹 Transacting Platforms: Web, In-app, POS device, Kiosk and Paylink (e-bill, chat, email, etc.) 🔹 Use Cases (noting that the commerce software does most of the work to enable these use cases, not the PSP): Click and collect, endless aisle, buy and return across channels, self-checkout, and Pre-auth or pay-as-you-go. PSPs must be omnichannel because most merchants (in mature markets) are now omnichannel and they increasingly demand an omnichannel payment proposition. Merchants need to be proactive and forward-looking when choosing a PSP that can facilitate their omnichannel strategy. PSPs, in turn, must adapt their offerings to deliver a unified proposition that is not channel siloed. Payment service providers that remain channel fragmented or limited will increasingly struggle to compete. Source: Flagship Advisory Partners - https://bit.ly/49gd2B5 #Fintech #Banking #Ecommerce #Retail #OpenBanking #API #FinancialServices #Payments #DigitalPayments #APM #Processing #Data #Omnichannel

A GM in Singapore just killed the hotel industry as we know it. The real disruption isn't in the numbers anymore. It's in who's holding the keys. Last week, I watched this 34-year-old GM manage her entire hotel from her phone. Check-ins, housekeeping, revenue optimization. All automated. She spent her day doing what algorithms can't: building relationships with a Korean startup to POC their services. That startup chose her hotel over the one next door. Why? Because she understood their business. This is the shift few tech founders grasp. You're not disrupting hotels. You're empowering a new generation of GMs who think like CEOs, not caretakers. The numbers tell the story: - Hospitality will create 119 million jobs by 2034 - Gen Z will make up 30% of the workforce by 2030 - 72% of hotels report better advancement opportunities than pre-2019 Meanwhile, the best GMs are learning from Y Combinator videos and treating their hotels like startups. Innovation drives them. Knowledge backs them up. For Guests: Your next hotel stay won't feel like a hotel. It'll feel like staying with a friend who happens to have 200 rooms and knows exactly what you need before you ask. For GMs: Your job isn't operations anymore. It's orchestration. You're not managing a building. You're curating experiences, leveraging data, and building communities. For Startups: Stop trying to eliminate the human touch. Start amplifying it. The winning formula isn't B2C or B2B. It's B2GM...building tools that turn good managers into great leaders. It's not about tech replacing people. It's about people using tech to become irreplaceable. And that 34-year-old GM? While we were debating disruption, she was already building it. Welcome to hospitality's next chapter. The disruptors aren't in Silicon Valley. They're at the front desk. #HospitalityInnovation #StartupEcosystem #FutureOfHotels #PeopleFirst #HospitalityTech The photo is Singapore's skyline - the story could be any forward-thinking hotel here

Thrilled to share our new research, co-authored with Annabeth Aagaard and Oliver Gassmann, on how industrial digital platforms are transforming value creation in B2B ecosystems. In many manufacturing settings, platform governance has long been framed as a one-way street: the platform orchestrates, complementors adapt. Our study shows a very different reality. Across five platform providers and five leading manufacturers, we uncover dual orchestration — a dynamic, iterative form of co-governance where both sides continuously adapt roles as digital business models evolve. The paper offers: • A Platform DBM Process Model explaining how value is co-created and co-captured across initiation, proposition design, digital transformation, and revenue sharing. • A Dual Orchestration Governance Framework detailing how transparency, reciprocity, commitment, proximity, and coopetition enable stable collaboration in highly interdependent industrial settings. • Rich case evidence from global platform providers and industrial firms navigating interoperability, data rights, servitization, and emerging AI-driven business models. If you are working on digital transformation, industrial platforms, ecosystem strategy, or B2B business model innovation, I hope you will find the insights useful. Read the open-access article here: Dancing titans: Dual orchestration and governance in industrial digital platforms for B2B value co-creation (Technovation, 2026): https://lnkd.in/dK4_UZpz Happy to discuss the findings or explore collaboration around this line of research. #DigitalPlatforms #IndustrialPlatforms #DualOrchestration #PlatformGovernance #B2BInnovation #EcosystemStrategy #DigitalBusinessModels #Servitization #ValueCoCreation #ValueCoCapture #ManufacturingInnovation #DigitalTransformation #IIoT #PlatformEconomy #EcosystemGovernance #CollaborationDynamics #OpenInnovation #DataDrivenInnovation #Technovation #ResearchPublication

So you’re a digital brand, what’s your physical touch point? Oh… you don’t have one? Listen to this (you might want to make a coffee first)👇🏼 Last year Snap Inc. launched Snapchat+ membership gift cards via Amazon. They saw memberships rise from 5 million in September to 7 million by end of December. That’s a 40% subscription increase in one quarter. I think all of our finance teams would agree that’s the greatest Christmas present of all. So this year Snapchat are doubling down. They’ve just introduced physical gift cards in retail stores marking a strategic move to blend digital experiences with tangible interactions. In an age where 82% of consumers say they feel more connected to brands that offer in-person experiences, digital brands are realising that physical touchpoints not only reinforce loyalty but can also bring a whole new depth to their offerings. Here’s why this approach matters—and how some of the most innovative digital brands are pulling it off ⬇️ 1️⃣ Meeting Customers Where They Are – IRL Digital-first brands are finding that physical experiences resonate in powerful ways. Look at Runna - a running training app that brought its brand to life with a pop-up at the New York Marathont this weekend, offering runners real-world support, community, and connection. These brands turn online experiences into memorable in-person touchpoints, meeting users in the moments where they’ll connect best. Smart! 2️⃣ Tangibility Boosts Brand Loyalty There’s something about holding a product that brings a brand closer to home. Bumble Inc. the networking and dating app, understood this when they launched Bumble Hives—real-life lounges where users could attend dating workshops and networking events. These moments make the app experience feel more personal, building stronger loyalty. 3️⃣ Targeting the Gift-Givers - NOT the receivers While Gen Z is immersed in digital ecosystems, physical products like Snapchat gift cards are designed for their parents and grandparents. These tangible items offer a straightforward way for older generations to gift experiences that align with Gen Z’s digital lifestyles, effectively bridging the generational gap. This is what makes this super smart. 4️⃣ Why It Matters Now – People Want Real-World Experiences Consumers are increasingly seeking real-life interactions with their favorite brands, especially digital-first brands, as 78% of people now say they want brands to connect with them in more experiential ways. Physical experiences, whether pop-ups, branded parties, or beautifully crafted stores, offer a chance for digital brands to deepen relationships, bring their values to life, and connect with audiences in memorable, tangible ways. — As marketers, it’s essential to recognise the value of this intersection - but only when it’s smart, not just for the sake of it. What are some of your favourite examples of digital meets physical? Who’s doing this REALLY well? 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Jumping straight into solutions without truly understanding our customer's pain points? Reminded me of my early days when I'd create designs that looked great but didn't resonate with the audience. The missing piece? A Value Proposition Canvas. Here's what I learned: Start with customer jobs, pains, and gains BEFORE thinking about your product features Map your solutions directly to specific customer problems (I was shocked to find only 40% of our features actually solved core pain points) Test and validate assumptions regularly. What worked 6 months ago might not work today The marketing landscape is shifting towards hyper-personalization, and generic value propositions just don't cut it anymore. What's your process for understanding your customer's true needs? PS: Building a small community of marketers and AI enthusiasts to discuss these insights regularly. DM if you'd like to join our conversations! #MarketingStrategy #CustomerInsights #ValueProposition

Omnichannel Orchestration Is Quietly Redefining How Payments Work Think about the last time you paid: maybe you tapped your card at a café, bought something online, or checked out through an app. For you, it was simple. But for the merchant, each of those transactions flowed through entirely different systems — card-present vs. card-not-present — with separate devices, gateways, and reconciliation processes. This fragmentation is one of the biggest hidden challenges in payments. And it’s where omnichannel orchestration changes the game. So what exactly is it? 👉 Payment orchestration is the “traffic controller” for transactions. It sits between merchants and providers (acquirers, PSPs, schemes) and intelligently routes, secures, and reconciles payments across all channels. Instead of merchants juggling multiple integrations, settlement reports, and reconciliation headaches, orchestration unifies everything: POS, softPOS, eCommerce, and MOTO all flow through a single layer. ✅ Here’s what that means in practice: 🔹 Smarter routing → Transactions are directed to the best acquirer, cutting failures and boosting approvals. 🔹 Omnichannel tokenization → A card saved online can also be used in-store, enabling loyalty and smoother experiences. 🔹 Unified APIs → One integration for merchants replaces the complexity of managing many. 🔹 Consolidated reporting → Finance teams get one view of payments, no matter the channel. 🔹 Resilience → Failover and retries keep commerce moving, even if one provider is down. And here’s the bigger picture: As mobile tap-to-pay and digitized in-store experiences grow, the wall between online and offline commerce is crumbling. Merchants can’t afford to treat channels separately anymore. Orchestration is what makes this convergence possible. Think of it as the invisible layer of intelligence that powers: 🔹 Better customer journeys 🔹 More resilient operations 🔹 Smarter, data-driven growth Platforms like Akurateco Payment Hub are showing how this isn’t just “nice-to-have infrastructure.” It’s quickly becoming the backbone of modern payments. 👉 Subscribe for more insights https://lnkd.in/d94JgWBU Source Akurateco #fintech #payments #paymentorchestration

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐁𝐁𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 (𝐯𝐬. 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟓) A decade ago, McKinsey, BCG, and Bain were defined by white-glove client service, “just-in-time” travel, and traditional pyramid staffing. Fast forward to 2025, and they’ve evolved—rapidly. Here are five big shifts: 𝟏. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐭 → 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 2015: Billable hours were a critical currency. “Face time” in client offices was seen as a badge of commitment. 2025: Value is measured by impact—short sprints, rapid pilots, and outcome-based fee models. “Time served” is out; “value delivered” is in. 𝟐. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 → 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 + 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 2015: Lone-star engagement managers, supported by 2–3 generalists, ran the show—and owned every slide. 2025: Cross-functional pods now bring together consultants, data scientists, AI specialists, and client teams—collaborating in real time. 𝟑. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤-𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 → 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 2015: Standard frameworks (MECE, Porter’s Five Forces) ruled every deck. 2025: Frameworks are just the start. AI-powered diagnostics and co-creative design thinking now drive tailored, adaptive solutions. 𝟒. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 → 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 2015: Travel was a badge of honor—and a calendar-breaker. (I used to say with pride: I’ve worked in 25 countries as a consultant.) 2025: 80% of client work is remote or hybrid. The travel saved is reinvested in deeper client relationships, localized insights, and personal well-being. 𝟓. 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 “𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭” → 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡-𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 2015: Clients came for answers; consultants came to deliver them. 2025: Now, it’s about co-creating the answer. Modern consultants blend facilitation, coaching, and change leadership with traditional problem-solving skills. Practicing consultants – How are you experiencing this shift? Consulting leaders – What trends do you see shaping the next decade? Aspiring consultants – What new-age skills are you building to stay ahead? #FutureOfConsulting #ConsultingCareers #MBB #ConsultingSkills #beingconsultant

Ever bought a mystery meal from a five-star hotel for just 10 bucks? 🍱🎁 In China, luxury hotels are reimagining surplus food as “leftover blind boxes”, mystery meals sold at deep discounts after buffet hours. 🤓This viral model isn’t just a quirky trend, it signals how brands can blend value, sustainability, and experience in one offer. From Hilton in Shenzhen to seafood chains in Changsha, Chinese hotels are using digital platforms to package high-quality, unsold buffet items into curated surprise bags priced around US$11 (¥80) What began as a solution to food waste is now a playbook for engaging Gen Z with low-cost luxury and gamified consumption. More insights below 👇 🍱 Over 2,600 tonnes of food saved and 6,500 tonnes of CO₂ emissions reduced by China’s “Xi Shi Magic Bag” platform, now active in 40+ cities. 🍱 Shenzhen’s Hilton saw daily sell-outs of their ¥79 blind box buffet in 2025, a move that lowered waste while pulling in younger consumers. 🍱 With RevPAR* falling up to 7% for China’s high-end hotels in 2024–2025, this model offers a creative alternative to blanket discounting. ✔️ China’s “surprise surplus” economy offers a fresh lens on combining cost-efficiency, sustainability, and digital engagement, one that hospitality brands worldwide can learn from. ✔️ Global players can adopt this by designing low-friction, app-based surprise models that convert waste into customer delight and loyalty. What’s your take? 🤔💬 Could this idea reframe waste management in your sector? *Revenue Per Available Room, is a key performance indicator (KPI) in the hospitality industry. _____ insights via Caijing, STR, Xi Shi Magic Bag #china #sustainability #retailinnovation #ashleytalks ❗️Looking to adapt China’s agile marketing to your industry? Message me for tailored trend applications and hospitality strategies.