Convenient, Then Compelling

I often order things online that require assembly.  And most of the time, the assembly instructions are frustrating and laughable.  I end up spreading all the pieces on the floor and attacking assembly like a jigsaw puzzle.

But recently, I received a set of clear step-by-step instructions with pieces that were separately packaged for each step.  And I was thrilled with the assembly experience.

We live in an era of convenience.  Consumers pay (often a premium price) for convenience.  Amazon redefined retail because it's convenient.  Netflix ran over Blockbuster because it's convenient. 

As business leaders, we need to consider how easy we make it for our customers to do business with us.  Is it seamless, or is it as frustrating as a jigsaw puzzle?

If you're not sure, I suggest you enlist a friend as a Mystery Shopper to make a purchaser you're your company and give you some honest feedback.

Is it easy to do business with your company?  Is it simple?  Is it well explained?  Is it clear what the process is?  

If the answer is yes to all these questions, your next challenge is to make it compelling to do business with you.  How can you make it fun?  How can you exceed customers' expectations?  How can you make your customer's engagement with you remarkable, so that they want to tell their friends, colleagues, and neighbors about it?  If you can do this, your company will enjoy great success!