Dennis Blanchette: Staying Close to Your Customers

By Bud on September 9, 2007 TrackBacks (2) Comments (3)

Dennis describes how sharing space with one of his major customers has made it possible to understand how his product is used in a functioning organization. He then discusses several possible product extensions and the process that led to them.

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Filed under: Dennis Blanchette | Ensure Technologies | Finding Gaps | IT Security | Ypsilanti, MI

In this 6 minute segment (download iPod compatible, 29MB), Dennis Blanchette details the benefits of staying close to your customers. Recently, Ensure moved its offices from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti to be closer to its flagship customer and investor, Forest Health Services. Dennis uses Forrest Health to help trouble shoot current usage of Ensure's products as well as a beta customer for new product ideas. Among the takeaways from this conversation:

  • Enterprise customers are looking for infrastructure on which they can base many applications.
  • An important component of any enterprise product is reporting. This has clearly been borne out with Forrest Health.
  • Likely extensions to Ensure's product line focus on leveraging the company's expertise in tracking infrastructure and taking it to new application domains via new form factors for their RFID cards.
  • One key potential application of Ensure's technology is to help company's find lost equipment. It's estimated that workers in knowledge industries spend 15% to 30% of their time looking for things, making the savings potentially large.

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TrackBack URL for this entry: http://michiganinnovators.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/fpgibson/MI/mt41/mt-tb.cgi/33

» Dennis Blanchette's Strategy from Naresh

I just watched an interview with Dennis Blanchette ceo of Ensure Technologies at michiganinnovators.org. Dennis talks about the PC security product named Xyloc which helps to resolve the typical information systems security. Ensure Technology's strate... Read More

Tracked on September 10, 2007 4:40 PM
» Dennis Blanchette: Staying Close to Your Customers from Mallika

By watching this video I felt its a very good approach to staying close to the customers inorder to understand the functionality of the product in an organization.Dennis explains how Forest Health Service provides space for growth and expansion... Read More

Tracked on September 19, 2007 1:35 PM

3 Comments

TeAnna Hart on November 20, 2007 6:26 PM
The only way to show customers that we understand them is to listen to them, when we take the time to listen to them, we understand their need. Dennis at Ensure Technologies has discovered that. Moving from Ann Arbor, MI to Ypsilanti, MI to get closer to your biggest customer only shows that you value the relationship you currently have and are dedicated to meeting their needs. Long lasting relationships usually involve two parties continually striving to keep the other satisfied. I believe that Ensure did a very positive thing and being able to be close to their client will also help to serve them faster and understand exactly how they operate, and what their future needs may be. I commend the move!
Anonymous on March 30, 2008 1:25 PM
This is very good idea, moving closer to your clients. I think that this a key for all businesses to make sure that they truly take a look at their clients needs before they design a product or service for that organization. No matter how great your product may be if you take the time to customize your product and service to your client there will be a greater amount of trust respect and understanding. I don’t know if every business can move into the same building with their client, but making themselves accessible will help them retain a client for a long time. One thing I have learned in my experience is that going out of your way to show a client they are important to you can truly help your standing within a market. Lena Heyn
DeAndre Turner on March 31, 2008 3:52 AM
I think that staying close to your customers is the best thing that any business can do. By staying close to your customers you get a very accurate idea of what the customer expects, so that when creating products your giving the customers what you know they want as suppose to what you think they want which will increase the profits of your business. Ensure moved its offices from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti to be closer to its biggest customer forest health services. Forest health services help trouble shoot current usage of Ensure products. Moving there offices from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti in my opinion shows that they would do what it takes to keep there biggest customers satisfied and meet there needs. By doing this I feel that this could lead them to more customers because Forest health services may refer others to their company because of the great service there receiving. After listening to this interview I have learned that understanding your customers and the type of products that may or not interest them can play a big part in the amount of profits you have. Great interview and I wish you the best. DeAndre Turner Eastern Michigan University

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