Singapore - Tackling problems from the stakeholder's perspective not only helps organisations save more than time and resources, it also allows businesses to stay ahead of the competition.

For a company to stay relevant, innovative solutions to business issues or improvements to services are a must. However, the solution process may be long and winding. To cut short the entire process, Wan Wee Pin, a National Library Board trainer, says companies can implement the design thinking process, which is commonly used by designers when they are trying to come out with a new product or service.

Wan says the design thinking process helps companies approach the problem from a user's "experience" or point of view. "Because you are looking at it from your internal or external customers' perspective, you understand what they really want and you will give them what they really want."

Avoiding the trial and error approach of problem solving will also help the company add the greatest value to its services or products in the shortest period of time, adds Wan.

To kick-start the solution process, Wan says companies should talk to the stakeholders involved with the company, ranging from the directors, the line managers to behind the counters and customers to "find out what their experiences are".

Stepping in as the customer to observe the surroundings will also help the organisation identify the problem accurately by becoming more in tune to the environment their stakeholders are interacting with. "Send your staff to personally go through the entire experience of what a potential customer would go through and make observations at each step," says Wan. "If they can gain a new perspective or be more sensitive to their surroundings or things that are happening, they can come up with better solutions."