When you think of a convenience store, you probably imagine a 7-Eleven or similar type of store. The concept of the convenience store was to be easier to do business with – a place to quickly and easily purchase the necessities of life, everything from a carton of milk to a Slurpee®. But, as easy as it is to stop by the convenience store on the way to or from work, nothing is as easy as doing business with Amazon.
In my upcoming book, The Convenience Revolution, I write that the next competitive differentiator will be convenience. This takes an organization’s customer experience to another level. For some companies, that’s been their core strategy. But, most companies don’t focus their marketing around the idea of convenience. Yes, they focus on customer service and CX, yet that may not be enough. It’s only the beginning.
Over the past 10 years, delivering a good experience has become table stakes. Some say it’s the new standard. New or not, the word standard is a good word to describe what’s happened. Customer service is indeed a standard. It’s an expectation. It’s the norm. Customers are smarter than ever and know what good service looks like. If you don’t provide it, be prepared to be disrupted by a competitor that does. Or one that provides a better version of it. So, if that’s the standard, then how do you break out of the norm?
That’s where the concept of convenience comes in. As mentioned, some (not many) companies have already embraced the concept. And, their efforts to do so have paid off. In the book, I explore six areas of convenience. These concepts have disrupted direct competition, and in some cases, entire industries. Those six areas include:
- Reducing friction – Just be easier to do business with. This is the overarching strategy. The other five convenience strategies provide specific ways to achieve the goal of reducing friction.
- Technology – The latest app or technology that makes doing business with you easy.
- Self-Service – Quick and easy do-it-yourself solutions for service – and any other offering that makes the experience easier.
- Subscription – The product or service that the company sells just shows up when it’s supposed to.
- Delivery – Don’t make the customer pick it up. Take it to them.
- Access (Location and Hours) – Are your locations and hours of operation designed to make life easier for you or for your customer?
These six areas have been embraced by forward-thinking businesses looking to gain a competitive edge. Some companies have focused on one or two areas, while others have incorporated all six into their customer service and experience strategies. The one company that pushes the envelope on all six of these areas is Amazon. And, once you understand what it does, you can start to see the possibility of how to do it in your business.
Reducing Friction: Doing business with Amazon is just easier. There are countless ways Amazon is more convenient, and one of my favorites is its “1-Click” ordering. Once you are set up in the system, as you are browsing the website and find something you want to purchase, just click once and it’s on its way. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Technology: Amazon has leveraged technology to make its customers’ lives easier. Beyond the website, it offers the Kindle reader for eBooks (and more), the Echo and Alexa’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) solution. Then there is the Dash button. Similar to 1-Click, this button is like a small doorbell that when you push it, it automatically orders whatever it is programmed to order. For example, you can have a Dash button in the laundry room. When you’re running low on detergent, push the Dash button and the detergent is ordered and shipped to your home.
Self-Service: Amazon provides user-friendly, self-service options for support, tracking orders, shipping and more. Its new grocery store, Amazon Go, allows customers to walk into a store, pick up the items they want and walk out. They’ve gone beyond self-service checkout lanes. You just get what you want and, as the name of the store implies, go.
Subscription: Amazon has an option for automatic delivery of certain consumables, which it calls “Subscribe and Save.” For example, you might go to the store every month for a 25-pound bag of dog food. Amazon just made it easier for you. Set it up as a subscription, and every month your dog food will show up at your doorstep.
Delivery: The idea of delivery is part of what put Amazon on the map. Delivery options have been reduced to less than two hours in many locations for many items. There have been reports that have Amazon working on 30-minute delivery using drones.
Access: Amazon is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can order whatever you want, whenever you want. And, it is building a distribution network of warehouses that is streamlining its operation, all with the idea that it needs to deliver what the customer wants as quickly as possible.
There are many other examples that could have been shared for each of these six Convenience Strategies. These are just the tip of the iceberg. Amazon is a trailblazer when it comes to convenience and customer focus. And, as you look at all six of the strategies, realize that every example was for the benefit and convenience of the customer. Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO, has a relentless focus on the customer experience at Amazon, and that experience is all about amazing customer service and convenience.
Is Amazon the most convenient company on the planet? You can decide, but it’s been Bezos’ intention from the beginning. In his own words: “The most important single thing is to focus obsessively on the customer. Our goal is to be earth’s most customer-centric company.”
