Why are people craving simplicity and wanting to get back to the basics?
With the power to do everything instantly and more efficiently at our fingertips, we have room to cram more to-dos in our schedule.
Jam-packed schedules have created no margin for error. But, we’re human. We make mistakes. So, no room for error causes stress and no time to relax and enjoy the things we work so hard to enjoy. By the end of the day, we are overworked, overtired, and still desiring simplicity.
[Tweet “”Jam-packed schedules have created no margin for error. But, we’re human. We make mistakes.” – @niftybetty”]We are desiring a life that is less complicated.
The technology designed to simplify life, has actually complicated it. People can only manage so many apps and gadgets at once. It’s overwhelming and is causing people to get back to the basics (living with less to experience more).
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What does this mean for businesses?
Businesses need to do the same thing: get back to the basics. Here are a 4 ways to do that:
1.) Ditch the Auto-Attendant (at very least, simplify the menu).
Auto-attendants are the last thing people want to deal with when needing to speak to a live person. They have many things to do in their day and don’t want to spend 15 minutes on the phone pressing numbers to try and reach somebody. They want a human being on the phone to answer a question and be on their way.
Steve Drage puts it perfectly in “The 10 Most Common Auto-Attendant Insults, “few things annoy callers more than having to listen to multiple options, select the closest one and then be presented with another list to pick from.”
Keep it simple. Don’t get over complicated with an auto-attendant. Make reaching a live person easy. Eliminate it all together, if you can. If clients can’t reach a human being to take care of their needs, they’re going to go elsewhere to get it taken care of (you just lost money – was the auto-attendant really worth it?).
Spending money upfront on a receptionist or assistant to direct calls is one way to retain clients and make them feel they matter. It’s a simple concept of being there when you’re needed. Note: you can even hire an outsourced live receptionist to keep costs down.
2.) Centralize Your Information
Your team is an extension of you and represents your company. What they do and say reflect what you represent. If every time they speak with a client they know nothing about them, the client is going to get annoyed and feel like they don’t matter (again).
Simplifying how you handle customer service is key to getting back to the basics. If a client feels they matter and is taken care of every time they call, they’ll stick around. So, how do you do this?
First, centralize your information using a CRM and ticketing software.
The CRM will hold all your clients’ information. If ever a client calls with an update, any team member can update the information. Then you will prevent the missed opportunities to email your client some great ways that will benefit his business or mail a thank you card to him (making him feel appreciated).
The ticketing system is great to use for when a client calls in with a request. Any team member can create a ticket (titling it, putting notes of the discussion, the date and time, create a follow-up and update the status of the request). Then when the client calls again about the status, any team member can pull up the ticket, read it, and know what is going on to update the client.
No more sticky notes laying around to get lost. No more I-don’t-know-you-and-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about-so-let-me-speak-to-my-supervisor conversations. Every member will have access to the information to make customer service smooth and effective. Your clients will feel secure and feel they’re part of a stable relationship. You will be providing good ole customer service.
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3.) Market Your Brand in Basic Terms
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough.” – Albert Einstein
There are millions of advertisements out there that are confusing. You see a commercial with a dog (oh cute). The entire time you’re thinking, “this must be a dog-food commercial,” and, “it’s to buy cable television.” What?!
Keep your message simple. Find a slogan that captures what your company represents. Then think like your target audience. What are their needs? What are their pain-points? Tailor it to them. Keep the marketing piece simple yet effective. Avoid it being too busy and cluttered.
“Your audience should immediately be able to understand what you are trying to say before anything else.” – Glasshat: 3 Design Tips to Improve Your Marketing Material
Two Marketing Tips to Help Stick to the Basics:
- Use only basic, essential information that communicates the message clearly. Always use a link back to your website where a potential client can get more information on what you’re marketing.
- Keep in mind, less is more. Use as little text as possible. Don’t think you have to fill up every single area of your marketing piece (you don’t). Having white space in your piece increases readability. The prospect won’t get overwhelmed by all the information you are trying to cram down her throat and will get the impression you know what you represent and can take care of her.
Note: a chaotic marketing piece makes you seem complicated. The consumer wants simplicity. So, keep it simple and basic.
4.) Don’t Try to Be Everything to Everybody
We have our strengths. We have our weaknesses. You know what they are. If you don’t, do a SWOT analysis to figure them out.
When you started your company, you developed a mission statement (head here if you need help writing one). It’s time to revisit that. As the years went by, you started adding things that complicated the business (some of which strayed away from the mission). Know what you are great at delivering and focus your key efforts there. Get rid of the clutter.
If you got successful by selling hamburgers, don’t try and sell lasagna too.
People want to know what solution you provide right when they look you up. They want to know that you are the best at it; so, they will be taken care of at all times. If you have hamburgers, lasagna, and decided to make half of your store a boutique, customers will get confused and not know that you are the best at providing an uber-satisfying hamburger.
[Tweet “”If you got successful by selling hamburgers, don’t try and sell lasagna too.” – @NiftyBetty”]If you stick with simple, customers will know exactly who you are and are there to take care of them. They want a stable, business relationship to have one less thing to worry about. The world is complicated with all the bells and whistles you can add to it. They want less stress and more time to relax and enjoy life. So, even though the trend in business land is instant gratification, changing a few things back to the basics (back to when life was not so complicated) will attract others to you. You will be what they want; because, you provide a sense of stillness that they crave.