Innovating supply chain through design thinking

Design thinking — an iterative process of product refinement based on the feedback of the end user — has led Plus to radically re-envision what a relocation package should look like and where, on balance, its suite of services should focus.

With a commitment to meeting the needs of the relocating employee, design thinking can be a humbling process of dismantling received wisdom and commonly held beliefs.

Our findings about changing expectations for work/life balance and lifestyle trends that favor renting over home ownership, experience over acquisitiveness (the average household goods shipment has shrunk by over 30% in less than a decade) have alerted us to a shift in the key drivers of relocation satisfaction. 

Confirming our learnings on a much larger scale, InterNations recently released its 2019 Expat Insider report based on the experiences of over 20,000 relocating employees from around the world. Summarizing its findings in February’s Mobility, Theresa Hafner, head of business solutions at InterNations, said:

“People can no longer just be moved from point A to point B…They desire a personal and authentic experience…They want personal growth – not just the next career step. And they want this for their partner and family too.”

Despite solid levels of job satisfaction, relocating employees reportedly lack relocation services that cater to happiness in their life outside of work. Lack of support getting settled and for building professional and social networks top the list of dissatisfiers.  

Our Point C platform is already yielding a wealth of information about what services and activities best aid the process of settling-in and how RMCs can effectively support network-building and integration. 

More than half of the services selected on the platform would not appear in a traditional policy, illustrating that a reorientation of priorities is long overdue.

There is need for a more holistic approach to relocation services and the mobility industry is only just waking up to the need to look beyond its traditional areas of expertise when asking about what really makes for a successful relocation in the minds of today’s workforce.

For a look at the design thinking approach we took when developing Point C, check out: "Empathy in Innovation: How User Testing Keeps us Humble."