The Future is Simple and Intuitive

Before I elaborate, I have to admit something to you: I don’t have a Computer Science degree.

In fact, far from it, I have a Liberal Arts degree. Journalism, to be precise.

You are in luck, however, because my unique background allows me to let you in on three secrets that will give your company the upper hand when fighting against competition.

The first secret is that successful companies tend to over diversify, so much so that it is to their detriment.

This might not even be a secret.

One example is Apple who had their product line slashed when Steve Jobs returned to head the company. Another is Google who had to end Google+ (their answer to Facebook) because it went unused.

There are countless other examples, such as Microsoft trying to make their operating system mobile friendly in spite of computer users, or Blizzard releasing the next iteration of Diablo (a computer game) for mobile only.

But why is Blizzard making Diablo a mobile game? Good question.

And why is Microsoft trying to incorporate mobile? Again, good question.

This is an adverse effect of competition. The rivalry of companies can be blinding when trying to pick where to focus resources.

Companies can venture far afield trying to one-up a competitor. And they pay the price for it.

My advice is to focus on no more than three things and do them better than the rest. Once you dominate a small area you can expand that area.

Do not try to replace something that is already being done, unless you have very good reason to do so.

If this is not possible, figure out how to simplify the offering visually to make it less cumbersome on the client.

Despite our brains being learning machines, learning takes time and effort and can happen much quicker when things are clear and simple.

The second secret is everyone is suffering from information overload.

With multiple channels of information flowing in – whether that be email, text message, mail, Slack, or any of the many communications services – people are rightly overloaded in the information age.

What can you do about this? Well, how about only send emails when they are absolutely necessary and make them personal.

Put the unsubscribe link in your email prominently at the top. Don't be sleezy and hide it at the bottom. Show your customer you are trustworthy.

Make your Contact Us form easy to use -- a simple Captcha or no Captcha at tall. And respond within two business days with a human response.

This makes your company real and approachable; instead of some giant behemoth causing headaches.

The third and final secret is feedback should only be solicited if they ask.

Don’t put a Did this help? Yes or no. on every page. Or a chat bot at the bottom right of the screen.

These two things are false connections. I recommend putting any sort of feedback with or very near the contact us page in the footer.