1. Realize: simplicity is the ultimate sophistication …
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This law attributed to Leonardo da Vinci certainly applies in “Customer Engagement” country. A crucial driver behind a good Customer Experience (CX) is the simplicity with which a customer is served. But realizing that simplicity requires a lot of thinking.
Apple has embraced this philosophy long ago and has come up with fantastic technology, where ease of use comes first. Achieving this degree of simplicity is again not easy. You really have to think about every situation in which a customer can find himself. All solutions must be arranged in a simple way. So investing.
2. “Simplicity” only works if it is perfect.
If your attempt to create simplicity and convenience for the customer is just not right, it is a waste of effort. “Just not” does not exist for a customer and “almost” is worthless. Speech recognition only works if it does what you ask for. The same applies to chatbots. The examples are known and recognizable.
In the pursuit of convenience, “less is more” is a winged term. But the less you have, the harder it is to adjust if things go wrong. So make sure that it cannot go wrong. Perfection is the norm. And that means investing again.
3. Master the entire customer journey
Make sure the digital transformation is rolling out across the full width. In the service rat race, customer loyalty is more and more determined by negative experiences instead of very positive experiences. So make sure you don’t score unsatisfactory! Focus on the lower limit of your services and build at a consistently high level.
Make every customer contact personal and contextual, the basis for a simple and easy customer journey. Always make sure you use the next best action. And, at least as important, that it is actually implemented. Time and again.
4. Everything in order? Forget it!
Hanging back is not an option. Interesting is how quickly customers get used to a high service level. Nowadays I can be annoyed with green and yellow if the parking garage does not recognize my license plate and I have to open the window to hold my pass against a post. Something I found a comfortable way to drive in until recently. Now I experience it as a hassle and therefore negative. It can go that fast.
Simplicity may therefore be the norm; the standard is constantly being tightened. Keep up!
5. Solve complexity with flexibility.
Make the right choices in technology and architecture. Ensure that the complexity that supports simplicity is guaranteed in a flexible system. That way you keep it manageable. Concrete is deadly when it comes to customer processes. Be agile and look for the resources.
