The concept and characteristics of 1. external brain services

With the advent of the era of knowledge economy, enterprises are facing an increasingly complex and changing market environment, and need to constantly innovate and optimize their own products, services, processes, organizations, etc., in order to maintain competitiveness and sustainable development. However, companies often lack sufficient expertise, experience, resources and perspective to deal with various challenges and opportunities, so they need to seek external help and support. Traditional consulting firms or individual consultants often can only provide general or superficial suggestions or solutions, which can not meet the needs of enterprises for in-depth analysis, customized solutions, rapid response and so on. Therefore, a new model of consulting services-external brain services came into being.

External brain service refers to people or organizations in a specific industry and a specific field. They have more professional knowledge and experience than ordinary practitioners and even operators in this industry and this field, as well as the thinking mode of discovering, analyzing and solving problems. Individuals or organizations who are hired, rather than employed, to provide their professional advice or solutions to the clear demands of the enterprise. These people or organizations can be experts, scholars, consultants, creators, etc. in academia, industry or society. They can communicate and cooperate with enterprises online or offline, or through third-party platforms or institutions. Match and recommend. The main features of external brain services are the following:

Professionalism: External brain service providers have deep professional knowledge and rich practical experience, and can provide targeted, in-depth, and innovative suggestions or solutions for the specific problems or needs of the company, rather than general or superficial Sexual opinions or suggestions.

Flexibility: external brain service providers can flexibly adjust their service content, service mode, service cycle, service cost, etc. according to different stages, scales and scenarios of the enterprise, so as to adapt to the changes and needs of the enterprise, rather than a fixed or standardized service mode.

Cooperative: The relationship between the external brain service provider and the enterprise is a cooperative relationship, not an employment relationship. They do not need to obey the will of the enterprise, nor do they need to assume the responsibility of the enterprise. They only need to use their own expertise, experience and resources to give suggestions and plans to the enterprise, that is, to fulfill the contract. The relationship between them and the enterprise is one of equality, mutual trust and mutual benefit, rather than one of superior and subordinate, suspicion and utilization.

Value: the value brought by the external brain service provider to the enterprise is not only reflected in solving the current problems or meeting the current needs, but also in improving the knowledge level, thinking mode and innovation ability of the enterprise, laying the foundation for the long-term development and continuous innovation of the enterprise. Between them and the enterprise is a win-win, co-growth, co-innovation relationship, rather than a zero-sum, short-sighted, consumption of the relationship.

Differences and connections between 2. external brain services and other types of outsourcing services

Outsourcing service refers to the enterprise to its internal certain non-core or auxiliary activities or functions to external professional institutions or individuals to complete, in order to reduce costs, improve efficiency, focus on core competitiveness and other purposes. According to the different types of outsourcing activities or functions, outsourcing services can be divided into knowledge outsourcing (Knowledge Process Outsourcing, KPO), technology outsourcing (Technology Process Outsourcing, TPO), Business Process Outsourcing (Business Process Outsourcing, BPO), etc. What are the differences and connections between these types of outsourcing services and external brain services? We can compare them in the following ways:

Objectives: The main objectives of knowledge outsourcing, technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing are to reduce costs, improve efficiency and focus on core competitiveness, while the main objectives of external brain services are to solve problems, meet needs, improve knowledge level and innovation ability. The former focuses more on the optimization and improvement of existing activities or functions of the enterprise, while the latter focuses more on the discovery and resolution of novel problems or needs of the enterprise.

Content: The main content of knowledge outsourcing, technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing is to hand over the activities or functions that have been defined and standardized within the enterprise to external institutions or individuals to implement, such as data analysis, software development, customer service, etc., while the main content of external brain service is to provide professional suggestions or schemes for the enterprise according to the problems or needs that have not been defined or standardized within the enterprise, such as market research, product design, strategic planning, etc. The former is more concerned with the regular activities or functions of the enterprise, while the latter is more concerned with the innovative activities or functions of the enterprise.

Process: the main process of knowledge outsourcing, technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing is that the enterprise formulates clear outsourcing objectives, scope, standards, processes, etc., then selects appropriate outsourcing institutions or individuals, signs outsourcing contracts, supervises and evaluates the implementation of outsourcing, and finally accepts and pays, etc. The main process of external brain service is that the enterprise raises vague questions or demands, then find a suitable external brain organization or individual, sign a consulting contract, communicate and cooperate with the consulting process, and finally accept and adopt the consulting advice or plan. The former relies more on the dominance and control of the enterprise, and the latter relies more on the professionalism and innovation of the external brain.

Results: The main result of knowledge outsourcing, technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing is that the outsourcing organization or individual completes and delivers the execution results of the internal activities or functions of the enterprise according to the requirements and standards of the enterprise, such as data reports, software products, customer feedback, etc., while the main result of external brain service is that the external brain organization or individual according to the problems or needs of the enterprise, provide and deliver recommendations or proposals for internal activities or functions, such as market analysis, product prototypes, strategic plans, etc. The former is more reflected in the quality and efficiency of implementation, and the latter is more reflected in the value and innovation of recommendations.

To sum up, there are obvious differences between external brain services and other types of outsourcing services, but there are also certain connections. They are both a way for enterprises to use external resources to optimize their own resource allocation and improve their competitiveness, and they all need to establish effective communication and collaboration mechanisms to ensure service quality and effectiveness. However, they also have their own focus and application scenarios. Knowledge outsourcing, technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing are more suitable for dealing with activities or functions that have been clarified and standardized within the enterprise, while external brain services are more suitable for dealing with problems or requirements that have not been clarified or standardized within the enterprise. Therefore, when enterprises choose different types of outsourcing services, they need to make trade-offs and decisions according to their own actual situation and objectives.

The Value and Challenge of 3. External Brain Service to Enterprise Development and Innovation

In the era of knowledge economy, knowledge is one of the most important factors of production and one of the most important competitiveness. Knowledge can not only help companies solve existing problems, but also help companies discover new problems and create new solutions. However, knowledge is also a scarce resource and cannot be owned by one person or organization. Therefore, it is a wise practice to use external knowledge resources to supplement and expand internal knowledge resources. This is the value that external brain services can provide for enterprise development and innovation. Specifically, there are the following aspects:

Provide professional knowledge: external brain services can provide professional knowledge for enterprises, help enterprises fill the internal knowledge gap, improve the level of internal knowledge. For example, when an enterprise is faced with new market opportunities or competitive threats, it can obtain relevant market analysis, competitor analysis, consumer behavior analysis and other professional knowledge through external brain services, so as to make more reasonable decisions and strategies.

Providing innovative thinking: external brain services can provide innovative thinking for enterprises, help enterprises break the inertia of internal thinking and stimulate internal innovation potential. For example, when an enterprise needs to develop a new product or service, it can obtain relevant innovative thinking such as product design, service design, and user experience design through external brain services, thereby improving the quality and attractiveness of the product or service.

Provide flexible support: external brain services can provide flexible support for enterprises, help enterprises cope with uncertain and changeable environment, and improve internal response speed and adaptability. For example, when a company encounters a sudden crisis or opportunity, it can obtain flexible support such as crisis management, risk assessment, and opportunity capture through external brain services to reduce losses or increase revenue.

However, external brain services are not a one-size-fits-all solution, and there are some challenges and risks. Specifically, there are the following aspects:

Increased communication costs: External brain services require frequent and in-depth communication and collaboration between companies and external organizations or individuals, which increases communication costs and time costs for companies. For example, companies need to spend time and energy to find suitable external brain service providers, as well as to build trust and consensus with them, which may affect the efficiency and effectiveness of the company.

Increase the risk of knowledge leakage: external brain services require enterprises to share some sensitive or important information and knowledge with external institutions or individuals, which will increase the risk of knowledge leakage and competitive risk. For example, in the process of cooperating with external brain service providers, enterprises may accidentally disclose their own business secrets, core technologies, strategic plans and other information and knowledge, which may be used or imitated by competitors.

Increased dependency issues: External brain services require companies to rely on the expertise and innovative thinking of external institutions or individuals, which will increase the dependency and autonomy issues of the company. For example, after using external brain services for a long time, enterprises may gradually lose their internal knowledge accumulation and innovation ability, thus becoming over-dependent on external brain services or unable to get rid of them.

Therefore, when enterprises use external brain services, they need to pay attention to balance the pros and cons, and avoid blindly pursuing or rejecting external brain services. At the same time, it is also necessary to establish an effective management mechanism and safeguard measures to ensure that the external brain service can be carried out smoothly and achieve the desired results.

The Case of External Brain Services Provided by 4. Shangpu Consulting

Shangpu Consulting Company is a company that focuses on providing professional, customized and rapid consulting services for small and medium-sized enterprises. It has an external brain team composed of experts, scholars, consultants and makers from all walks of life, which can provide professional suggestions or solutions according to different problems or needs of customers. The following are some specific examples of external brain services provided by Champ Consulting to clients:

Case 1: A clothing brand company wants to open up new markets, but it does not know the consumer characteristics, demand preferences, competitive landscape, etc. of the target market, nor does it know how to formulate an appropriate market entry strategy. Shangpu Consulting Company provides external brain services for it. Through in-depth research and analysis of the target market, it provides the following suggestions and solutions:

Consumer characteristics of the target market: consumers in the target market are mainly25-35Young women, who have higher income and education level, pursue fashion and quality, and like personalized and diversified clothing styles.

The demand preference of the target market: the consumer's demand for clothing in the target market is not only to meet the basic function and comfort, but also to pay more attention to the design and trend of clothing, hoping to show their personality and taste through clothing.

The competition pattern of the target market: the competition in the target market is fierce, and there are many well-known domestic and foreign clothing brands in which they occupy a certain market share, suchZARA、H&M, UNIQLO, etc. These brands have their own characteristics and advantages, such as rapid response, low cost, high quality, etc.

Market entry strategy: Based on the characteristics of the target market and the competitive situation, Champ Consulting recommends that clients adopt the following strategies:

Positioning strategy: customers should position themselves as a clothing brand that provides high quality, high design sense and high personalization, highlight their differentiation advantages with other brands, and meet the needs and preferences of consumers in the target market.

Product strategy: customers should develop clothing products that meet their tastes and styles according to the preferences and trends of consumers in the target market, while paying attention to the quality and details of the products to improve the added value and attractiveness of the products.

Price strategy: Customers should adopt mid-to-high-end price strategies based on their brand positioning and product characteristics to reflect their brand value and product value, and also meet the payment ability and psychological expectations of consumers in the target market.

Channel strategy: customers should use a variety of channels to promote and sell their products, such as online channels (official website, e-commerce platform, social media, etc.), offline channels (specialty stores, department stores, shopping centers, etc.), cross-border cooperation (joint or endorsement with other brands, stars, online celebrities, etc.). Through the diversification and interaction of channels, increase their brand awareness and influence, expand their market coverage and customer groups.

Case 2: A catering chain company wants to improve its service quality and customer satisfaction, but it does not know what problems and deficiencies it has in its service, nor does it know how to improve and optimize its service processes and standards. Champ Consulting Company provides external brain services for it. Through a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis of the customer's service status, it provides the following suggestions and solutions:

Service status assessment: through on-the-spot investigation and observation of each store of the customer, as well as questionnaire survey and interview of the customer's employees and customers, the company found that the customer has the following problems and deficiencies in service:

The service process is not clear: the customer's stores do not have a unified service process and standard in reception, ordering, serving, checkout, etc., resulting in low service efficiency, unstable service quality, inconsistent service experience and other issues.

Unfriendly service attitude: some employees of the customer show impatience, unenthusiasm, unprofessional and other bad service attitudes in the service process, resulting in dissatisfaction, disrespect, distrust and other emotions.

Service feedback is not timely: customers do not establish an effective service feedback mechanism, unable to collect and deal with customer opinions and suggestions in a timely manner, and unable to solve customer complaints and problems in a timely manner, resulting in customers feeling unimportant, unsatisfied, disloyal and other attitudes.

Service improvement plan: According to the evaluation of the customer's service status, Shangpu Consulting Company recommends that the customer take the following measures to improve and optimize their service quality and customer satisfaction:

Establish a unified service process and standard: customers should formulate clear service process and standard according to their own catering characteristics and customer needs, and carry out unified training and implementation in each store, so as to improve service efficiency, ensure service quality, and unify service experience.

Improve the service attitude and skills of employees: Customers should strengthen the motivation and management of employees, cultivate their service awareness and sense of responsibility, and improve their service attitude and skills to increase customer satisfaction, respect, trust and other indicators.

Establish an effective service feedback mechanism: customers should use various methods (such as message boards, telephones, WeChat, etc.) to collect and process customer opinions and suggestions, and solve customer complaints and problems in a timely manner, so as to increase customer attention, satisfaction, loyalty and other indicators.

Implementation Points and Suggestions of 5. External Brain Service

According to the above analysis, we can see that the external brain service is a consulting service model that is conducive to the development and innovation of enterprises, but we also need to pay attention to some implementation points and suggestions to ensure that the external brain service can play a maximum effect. Specifically, there are the following:

Clarify the goal and scope of external brain services: before using external brain services, enterprises need to clarify what problems or needs they want to solve or meet, and what value external brain services can provide for themselves. At the same time, it is also necessary to clarify the industries or fields involved in the external brain service, as well as the information or knowledge that the external brain service needs to provide or obtain. This can help companies better select the right external brain service providers, and communicate and collaborate with them more effectively.

Appropriate External Brain Service Provider**When choosing an external brain service provider, companies need to consider their expertise and experience in the relevant industry or field, as well as their ability and reputation in providing external brain services. At the same time, it is also necessary to consider its degree of fit and complementarity with itself, as well as its understanding and concern for its own problems or needs. This can help companies find the most suitable external brain service provider for them, and cooperate and communicate with them more smoothly.

Establish an effective communication and collaboration mechanism: When enterprises communicate and collaborate with external brain service providers, they need to establish an effective communication and collaboration mechanism, including determining the goals, content, methods, frequency, and responsibilities of communication and collaboration. At the same time, it is also necessary to maintain the openness, integrity and interaction of communication and cooperation. This can help enterprises to establish a good cooperative relationship with external brain service providers, and complete the process and results of external brain service more efficiently.

Evaluate and adopt suggestions or plans for external brain services: When companies accept suggestions or plans from external brain service providers, they need to conduct an objective and comprehensive evaluation, including examining whether they meet their own problems or needs, whether they are feasible and effective, Whether it is conducive to their own development and innovation, etc. At the same time, it is also necessary to decide whether to adopt or adjust its suggestions or programs according to the evaluation results, and give feedback and thanks to the external brain service providers in a timely manner. This can help companies make full use of the expertise and innovative thinking of external brain service providers, and better implement external brain service suggestions or solutions.

Conclusion

This paper discusses the differences and connections between external brain services and other types of outsourcing services, as well as the value and challenges of external brain services for enterprise development and innovation. This paper holds that external brain service is a new consulting service model, which can provide professional knowledge, innovative thinking, flexible support and other values for enterprises, and help enterprises solve problems, meet needs, improve knowledge level and innovation ability. However, there are also some challenges and risks, such as increased communication costs, increased risk of knowledge leakage, and increased dependency issues. Therefore, when using external brain services, enterprises need to pay attention to some implementation points and suggestions, such as clarifying the objectives and scope of external brain services, selecting suitable external brain service providers, establishing effective communication and collaboration mechanisms, evaluating and adopting external brain service suggestions or solutions. This paper also combines the case of external brain service provided by Shangpu Consulting Company to customers, and specifies the implementation process and effect of external brain service. This paper hopes to provide some reference and enlightenment for small and medium-sized enterprises to understand and use external brain services.