When asked to describe his exact role at EnergyPrint, Product Management Director Ben Herkenhoff responds without hesitation: “That’s easy,” he says, “I’m the voice of the customer.“
And that all starts with listening—carefully and authentically. “Hear what the customer has to say. Listen to their pain points. What works for them and what doesn’t? Where are they having trouble? Where are the inefficiencies and frustrations? Where are the opportunities for improvement?” If that sounds more like problem-solving and business strategy than product development, in a way, you’re right. But that’s exactly Ben’s role as the voice of the customer—learning about the client’s industry and business needs, so EnergyPrint can provide the best possible solutions.
That seems fitting.
After all, when you combine 10 years of business analysis, product management and operations experience with Ben’s natural curiosity and desire to deliver unrivalled service, you get the best, most up-to-date platform EnergyPrint can offer.
“I would never sit there and say, ‘Our platform is 100% good to go. There’s nothing more we can do.’ Quite the opposite, actually. We strive for continuous improvement, driven by meaningful insights and concrete feedback from our highly active and engaged user base,” Ben says.
Unsurprisingly, Ben is completing his MBA this year at Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. Combining a full-time job with grad school has been both challenging and rewarding for Ben because, “I take what I’m learning and apply it in real-time, to a growing business and interesting client needs.”
Listening to clients, applying knowledge and developing great service deliverables is a dance that Ben plans to continue at EnergyPrint. But that’s nothing new for Ben – he’s always liked to share what he’s learned with others, especially on the dance floor. Ben has taught ballroom dance for more than 12 years, and still shares his talents with couples part-time.
“Needless to say, I’m very popular at weddings,” he jokes. “Once the dancing starts, I can’t even get off the floor.”
And it’s good that Ben has so much energy, because leading product management for EnergyPrint requires flexibility, problem-solving and relationship development. Just like a dance instructor, simultaneously taking the lead, while carefully watching the student at the same time, making subtle corrections, coaching, teaching, observing—and doing it all on the fly, without breaking stride.
“When it comes to our services,” Ben says, “there’s no start and finish. We don’t work on a product for months and months and then suddenly release it out into the world and see what happens. It’s a fluid, continuous stream of listening, developing, improving and delivering … and then we do it all over again.”
Connect with Ben on LinkedIn.