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March 17, 2011Charles Mingus, the legendary jazz bassist once said:
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.”
and
The Roman orator Cicero said:
“Please forgive me for writing such a long letter, I didn’t have time to write a short one.”
I love both of these quotes and what they stand for: the elegance, meaning and power in simplicity. Both men, thousands of years apart, realised that the quest for simplicity was where real magic exists.
Interesting then that I saw an article recently on MyCustomer.com the other day which had the headline: “UK public willing to pay a premium for simpler customer experience – report”
This peaked my interest given that I had written about something similar in Giving your customers more choice is a good thing. Or is it? earlier this year. It also relay interested me as I am always keen to look for the simple and elegant insight, explanation, offer, service or otherwise in my work and life.
The article, and the report behind the article by Siegel & Gale, reinforces the point that in this world of increasing complexity that the quest for simplicity and not more choice is becoming more and more important in our lives and the minds of our customers.
The report defines simplicity as communicating something directly, clearly and honestly in a jargon-free way as well as making the use of something convenient, easy to use and something that saves people time.
Below are a couple of graphics that summarise the results:
If the images are not clear then you can get a copy of the full report here.
The results show that across the globe the retail, restaurant and entertainment industries are leading the simplicity charge with utilities and financial services bringing up the rear. However, with all of the talk of increasing competition and pressure on prices, the report also finds that firms that have simplicity at the heart of what they do, say and deliver are able to charge anywhere from 4.5% to more than 6% more for simpler messages and offerings.
For most firms this could be the difference between a loss-making position and being a market leader.
Who have you seen that has taken up the simplicity quest and is leading their market? I’d be interested in hearing your experiences in the comments below:
Thanks to Will Lion for the image.
21 Comments
I guess our quest for a much simple customer experience is an inevitable offshoot of our desire for easier and simpler method of doing things. It’s apparent in our thirst for quick fixes and et all. Though I wonder if this will negatively affect a company’s pursuit of success?
Hi there, I am not sure that it will. I think that we need to be careful when we say simple as I don’t think that simple means ‘less’ it means easier to use, to understand, to buy, to talk about, to share, to recommend etc and once we get that right then it surely leads all the way to success. Right?
Adrian
Hi Adrian – Nice and simple 🙂
Hi Michael,
Indeed! Who do you like that keeps things Nice and Simple?
Adrian
It is interesting how much money we are leaving on the table by making things complicated.
Simplicity makes life easier for all parts and it apperantly makes you more money!
I know it’s a great insight, isn’t it?
Now the real work of making things simple starts.
Adrian
It’s interesting that in the UK simplicity index, the top 10 includes three major supermarket chains, two fast food chains and the BBC: brands that people use on an almost daily basis. It does seem to suggest that a large part of simplicity is down to familiarity. Equally, there is probably an argument that says that these brands remain popular because they are simple to deal with.
Hi Robert,
This strikes me as a bit of a chicken and egg question. What came first: popularity/familiarity or simplicity?
Did they start simple or realise that simple worked best, I wonder?
Adrian
Adrian,
I have to say that in the auto collision repair space, most just don’t understand what simple is. They tend to use clutter called ‘features and benefits.’ Being simple is hard and requires a huge commitment to who you serve rather than what you serve.
Great data!
Bill
.02
Hi Bill,
It’s interesting when we go to work that we forget what it is like to look at things as a customer or as a user. I wonder how and why that happens.
Adrian