Simple is still the best!

Like many of us in business I am more than familiar with the acronym KISS, standing for ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ and a recent experience has reminded me of just how important this remains in business today and also prompted me to write this Blog.

I am far from being a regular overseas traveller, in fact it has been some 8-years since I last left the shores of the UK, so when it came to acquiring some overseas currency, in this case US Dollars, I found things have moved on.

I went in search of travellers cheques and cash and was instead confronted with the option of a ‘pre-paid debit card’ on to which I was expected to load my anticipated requirement and then use as one would a normal debit or credit card when purchasing goods and/or services.

Now I can appreciate the benefit of having a card to use over Travellers Cheques that may need to be cashed to use, however I liked the previous way of having both the cash and travellers cheques as it meant I could ‘spread the risk’ with some of the cheques being left in a secure place, some with me and some spread round other members of my travelling party – to me this card presented a ‘risk of one’ as, if lost, I had no access to my pre-arranged funds.

There was another matter that bugged me as well, at the time of acquisition with potential supplier A which was that I could only pre-load a set limit, I then had to go on-line and activate the card and then transfer money to it direct from my bank account, up to a maximum level. All rather time consuming and a tad off putting and I still had this nagging ‘risk of one’ banging away at the back of my mind!

I then, found another option on the card from an alternative supplier – no restriction on the initial amount loaded on to the card they offered, no need to go on-line and authorise the card and a second card, with a different number, provided at the same time for no additional charge in case the first one was lost or stolen – hooray this was easier, dare I say simpler, to set up and overcame my concern of the ‘risk of one’ – one simple form and a phone call later and I walked away with the cards and had some great customer service to go alongside it.

This all reminded me that keeping it simple has always been and remains to this day, the best way to offer a service to your potential customers. There may well be even simpler ways of achieving what I sought, this though has been a acceptable and appropriate outcome for me.

Why not take a moment and look at the process you ask your potential customers to go through to buy from you and consider how you might simplify this and make their lives easier – reduce their pain and they may well buy more, recommend you to others and come back themselves more frequently. Simplicity really is best.