Main Idea:
What causes you to hesitate to go to a ball game? Do you enjoy upgrading your cell phone? Why do you hesitate to go to the dentist? How much fun is it taking a 3 year old to the grocery store with candy everywhere? Do you dread having to swap out your work computer?
Expansion of the Idea:
I was recently notified by my cell phone company that my phone will no longer work after January 1, 2022 due to technology changes. My phone isn’t that old but technology is constantly changing. I hate changing phones for two reasons. First, it takes a week to get the new phone working with all of the apps. Second, the terms of the deal on the phone are always changing and I never know if I am getting a good deal or a bad deal. As a result, I put off replacing phones or upgrading when I should.
I was reminded of the basic concept of business friction in a book that I recently read called Friction: Passion Brands in the Age of Disruption by Jeff Rosenblum and Jordan Berg. The whole concept is that we should be creating passionate fans of our businesses by eliminating friction that exists in our industries and in our businesses. I know that I had tried to make my business easier to do business with but this concept of friction goes much deeper. Eliminating friction is about creating businesses that our customers are passionate about. It is putting us in alignment with our customers.
General examples of friction could be:
No one answers the phone
Website is out of date and doesn’t address questions
Cost of switching services is too great
Service problems are not fixed quickly
Specific examples of friction could look like this:
CPA firm – tax surprises
Law firm – surprise on the bill
Retail store – long lines or insufficient inventory
Distribution company – packages are delivered late
Construction industry – inability to adhere to time tables
Service industry – won’t tell you when they will be there
Auto repair – car isn’t fixed after you pick it up
Lawn maintenance – ruts from cutting right after rain
Friction is everywhere. In the past couple of years Covid has amplified the problem. I know in my industry the biggest issue is business and tax surprises. To the extent that I have been successful in helping clients plan better, I have reduced friction. But I know that I have a lot of other friction points that I need to improve on. All of us have these problems. It is up to us to identify what these friction points are and then to create systems and policies to help eliminate them or at least mitigate them. Some things are out of our control. However, even when things go wrong and they will, we can communicate with our customers and keep them informed. Sometimes that is all we need to do.
Questions to Consider:
Make a list of the top 5 friction points in dealing with your business.
Add on the next 10 friction points.
Discuss this with your team and add on additional friction points.
Make a plan to work on the points