I Feel the Need…the Need for Ease

Maverick and Goose had a longing — a profound need for speed. It gave them a rush, enjoyment, and satisfaction. Our customers have a longing — a profound need for ease.

I recently joined the ranks of the e-reader owners. I chose the Amazon Kindle. (Please, no religious wars about Kindle vs. iPad!) I was impressed by every aspect of the experience. Ordering was intuitive. Customer ratings and comments were informative. Suggested accessories was helpful. The purchasing process was a breeze. Tracking the shipment was spot on. The packaging was attractive. The initial “Get Started Now” approach was encouraging. The seamless integration to my Amazon account and my home-based WiFi router was perfect. Ordering e-books is a breeze. This was (and continues to be) a perfect customer experience for me-it is easy.

Ease of Use is often limited to the banal operation of a product. How much easier can a light switch be? Not very sexy from a marketing perspective, but it is very easy to use: click on, click off. However, the full customer experience from ordering through full operation of a product or services rendered should have an “Ease of…” aspect. Ease of Use must entail the full experience from initial awareness of the product or service (ease of access), seamless and integrated order process (ease of acquisition), and integrated, intuitive operation with the ecosystem of services or products in which it participates (ease of operation). In a world of exponential advancement in technology and accessibility, we all could use a little “easy.” (Staples’ Easy Button marketing campaign and the US Postal Service If It Fits, It Ships are two brilliant marketing campaigns designed to give the perception that they understand the “need for ease”).

From my recent experience with the Amazon Kindle and a reflection on other recent purchases, I came up with a list of considerations for making my goods or services easy for my customers:

I can have the most desirable product or service, but if I make it complicated to order, the “Ease of Use” experience is diminished. How easy is it for customers or clients to order online or otherwise? Do they have to remember complicated order codes? Do they receive an immediate sales acknowledgment with relevant delivery information? Do I make it easy for customers to track delivery? Do I provide a history of their past orders and have a system to offer required or optional accessories? It is frustrating to order something and upon delivery discover “batteries not included” (simplistic example, but to the point).

I can detract from the “Ease of Use” experience of my customers by not having a seamless, integrated “Quick Start” process. I can’t remember ever reading an entire user’s manual prior to firing up a new product (sometimes to my dismay). With an appropriate one page “Must do for immediate and effective operation,” I am at least able to get started and avoid having to start over because I failed to perform the “do this first” action. I recently helped my parents purchase a new personal computer. What a pleasant experience! A color-coded one page glossy led us through connecting cables, powering up, and performing initial upgrades.

I can confuse my customers by making personal configuration tedious. For complicated products with multiple settings and configurations, a few standard configuration profiles will assist the customer in getting 90% of the performance and functionality she expects. More advanced users may then go to the “Advanced Options” to tweak additional settings. Belkin and NetGear have improved greatly in this area. Even a novice can purchase a wireless router for his house and have it connected to the integrated WiFi in his laptop in a matter of minutes. After the user becomes more comfortable, he may choose to implement security to access the wireless network and the wireless router.

I can frustrate my customers by making it complicated to integrate and connect with other products or services designed to fit my product or service. Apple iTunes has done a much better job of integrating its customer purchases and synchronizing of devices than other digital player suppliers I have tried. Consequently, I use Apple iTunes to purchase music even though I no longer use my iPod. (Interesting, I purchased a product and am now sold on the services-a topic for another day).

I may not be selling a product or service as complicated as an Amazon Kindle, personal computer, wireless router, or iPod, but I can examine every area of the customer experience for what I do offer and make improvements to each area. If I sell a product or service into a market with heavy competition, I can differentiate my offering by understanding my customers’ “need for ease” and providing the tools, integration, and knowledge to make their experience easy and enjoyable.

About the Author:
Tony Burge is host of bizLingual™ and is a senior-level strategic management and marketing professional with nearly 20 years of versatile, proven commercial business experience with an advanced industrial wireless and software development background. For more information, please visit http://www.bizLingual.com.

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