Ask anyone how they’re doing and you will likely get the same response: “Busy!” We all have lots to tend to. Whether keeping up with the neighbors or inventing the next big social media meme, life is exhausting. Add to that a job, a family, and some hobbies, and it’s no wonder we are all struggling to find room to breathe.
Being a working mom, I have had to learn how to become a master planner, skilled delegator, and a juggler – both literally and figuratively. On top of this, there is so much “clutter” competing for my time and attention that Microsoft had to make a separate Outlook folder to address it. In my life, the word “busy” seems like a gross understatement.
Usually, my super-hero self can multitask and get it all done like a boss, but then I wake up from the daydream and realize I’m a mere mortal who is horrible at consciously doing more than one thing at a time. Even with resources and the ability to delegate, there are still things as human beings we MUST do for ourselves.
Tasks Normal Humans Can’t Outsource
My former trainer used to say, “I can’t do those sit-ups for you!” Unless the daydream of being a super-hero is actually a reality, there are duties that still must be done. Unfortunately, some of these things just take away from the joy and cadence of life. Like most of us, I have an unofficial “I wish I didn’t have to…” list. A couple of things that fall at the very top of this list are:
- Fueling my car – When I am running around town, the last thing I want to do is get my hands all gross while waiting on a dispenser nozzle to finally eke out some of that go-juice into my kickin’ mini-van.
- Banking – If you have the time to waltz into your local branch to chat it up with your banker, I am genuinely happy for you. For me, the typical banking interaction is with a machine that occasionally spits money out at me and charges me for the great honor.
I can go on and on about life’s never-ending string of monotonous activities that interfere with our busy lives—grocery shopping, working out, etc. All of these tasks provoke a very fundamental question:
Do they really have to be so boring?
Self-Service Tasks Made Fun
I’m clearly not alone in thinking about this, as some companies have already created some “funovations” to help us get through the everyday duties of life.
- Fueling up your car—Some BP locations are now piloting a program, called “Miles,” which allows you to select music on Pandora, record a video e-card to share on social media sites or play music trivia, right there at the pump while you fill up. Fuel and fun – win-win!
- Banking—Great efforts have been made to ensure online banking is a more efficient experience. Do you remember the days of writing checks and sticking stamps on envelopes for every single bill? I do, and I hated it. Today, I can bask in the awesomeness of online bill payments. Let’s not forget my all-time favorite feature of online banking – taking a picture of the check and depositing it electronically.
- Shopping—Product delivery has also come a long way. When I am out of town for business and my daughter reminds me that she needs clarinet reeds, Amazon becomes a mother-daughter relationship-saver. I can’t wait for something to be delivered to my house with a drone through Amazon Prime Air.
When More Fun Is More Frustrating
What happens when the fun doesn’t work? Wouldn’t it be utterly disappointing if an order was placed for a drone to deliver your groceries…and it didn’t show up? Or if the check that was deposited via your mobile phone didn’t show up in the account?
As implementers of new technology and services, companies have to go through a lot of testing and focus groups before they implement for consumers. Once rolled out, how do they know that customers are happy and that these fun applications are executed correctly on a universal scale?
As a customer experience (CX) company, we have answers for that.
Regular Feedback
The most obvious thing companies can do to get feedback about their customers’ experience is to ask them. Taking time to understand what consumers of a product or service enjoy – or don’t enjoy – is critical. As a consumer, does it influence my perception of the brand, product, or service? Is a specific new feature negatively impacting my perception of the brand? If consumers had to narrow down the functionality aspect, what parts of the product or service are most essential to retain? Of course, all of this should have already been done before putting the new product or service in place. However, things can change along the way, such as hiccups during the implementation process, lack of training by certain units, and changing consumer sentiments over time or by region.
Objective Feedback
The feedback loop doesn’t end there. Once a company understands what’s important to consumers, they can send out a force of “trained consumers,” or mystery shoppers, to evaluate those same components that real customers said were most important to them. Mystery shoppers can experience the process in an objective manner and report their findings back to the brand. This feedback helps ensure that brands are being represented appropriately throughout the entire lifecycle.
Continuous Improvement
Once companies receive feedback from real customers, mystery shoppers, or through a myriad of other channels, those who are invested in providing a strong and positive experience will create a closed-loop process that goes beyond just understanding. The feedback needs to be acted upon. Through action planning, companies are able to narrowly target and fix anything that strays from their consumers’ wants and needs, right down to the individual unit level.
Keeping the Fun…Fun
It’s important to remember that even after the launch of “funovations,” opinions still matter. It’s essential to monitor and maintain these innovations to ensure they remain relevant and adaptable to changing needs and expectations. Companies need to continue to measure customer sentiment and experience through surveys, mystery shopping programs, and following up with misaligned elements through closed-loop action planning tools. Repeated missteps will only frustrate customers with the brand, and engagement will dwindle.
We should be appreciative of companies who recognize the plight of busy customers faced with mundane tasks and strive to innovate to provide just enough “fun” to distract us from how tedious the task really is. The next time you’re up to your eyeballs in the duties of life and faced with something you wished you didn’t have to do, remember you may not have to do it in a boring way.