What is "Jobs to be Done," and how can you use it to understand the voice of your customers?

Despite the massive amounts of data we possess on what individuals buy or do, we have comparatively little insight into why they make those decisions.  Without deep insight into the voice of the customer, organizations struggle to predict what consumers will do next. ​​

The Jobs to be Done concept was first popularized by Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen in his groundbreaking book The Innovator’s Solution.  Since that time, we’ve worked to develop a practical framework and set of tools for helping innovators – from entrepreneurs to those at Fortune 500 companies – put the concept into action.

Why read this book chapter?

Chapter 1 from our book Jobs to be Done: A Roadmap for Customer Centered Innovation (Amacom, 2016) covers: 

• Why you should focus on Jobs to be Done (JTBD) rather than past purchase behavior
• The difference between functional and emotional jobs, and how to win on each
• How JTBD research can lead to the better design of products, services, and business models

Learn more about our customer research practice