Don't Just Digitize Stupid Rules. Change Them!

Digitizing stupid procedure that makes it difficult for your customer, is not a true digital transformation. On the contrary, it just frustrates them faster. In my recent keynote talk in CIO100 in Delhi, I share with the audience the attempt to buy one scoop of vanilla-chocolate ice cream experience suggesting to change the rules. But what if you buy and pay for a gift from a trusted trillion dollar company only to find out that they refuse to deliver it?

I just bought from Amazon the kindle version of the fantastic leadership book "Wisdom at Work" by my mentor Chip Conley as gift to my dear friends. (highly recommend that you read it). To my devastation, I received messages from my friends that they could not download the Kindle. The reason given to them is that I am not residing in the same country.

Does it make sense? Amazon, please explain why does it matter where do I buy the gift from? If you have a legitimate reason, then why do you authorize a transaction that will fail? How can you charge for a product or service that you will deny? Your obligation as a seller is to fulfill the purchase that you allow or to deny it before I pay. Now you can give excuses that you have small fine print FAQ somewhere that explain the restrictions but that not a great shopping experience if customers have to worry and check FAQ before every purchase. Not only were my friends are disappointed, but I am stressed about how to resolve this. I have to waste my time to raise a service call for a refund and the time of your staff in recovery. You had created a labyrinth that gives bad service, inconvenient your customers and their loved ones and consumes your services resources.

Here is what your clients expect:

1. If you have stupid rules - change them. You can't delight your customers when you fail them. When it comes to gifts, it is even more sensitive because your denial of service cause a negative emotion of embarrassment.
2. If you insist on having a stupid rule, change your system so it will follow your rules. You have the obligation to fulfill what you sell. You can't catch your customers by surprise after they make a purchase. You can't use the small letters as a fig leaf. If you have a country rule, digitize it and ask the client to fill it before you allow the transaction.
3. Be proactive with your service. Just like you inform me about a successful claim of the kindle (see below), you can also automate when a problem arises. It's really inconsiderate to burden the recipient of the gift. What if they are too embarrassed to tell me? Once you deny service from a paying customer, follow the sequence of recovery as appears in my earlier blog post. In this specific example, you have two good options for immediate remedial action. To force the system from your side to fulfill your obligation. If you can't change the rule, then arrange for a physical book to be shipped instead.

Digital transformation needs to incorporate the human needs and customer journey to be effective and upgrade the experience, eliminate pitfalls and create a seamless experience. Otherwise, it is not transformation but merely automation. If you automate a terrible experience, you will just deliver a terrible experience.

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Working globally from Singapore, TEDx (IDEASx) global speaker Avi Liran (Economist, MBA and basketball coach) is the Chief Delighting Officer of www.deliveringdelight.com. On a mission to delight the world, one person, one organization, one community at a time, he travels the world to inspire, and entertain with his refreshing keynote talks and edutainment programs Delivering Delight. Avi helps leaders and managers worldwide to tap into their Inner Delight to Lead With Values, Purpose, Joy, and Care. When leaders walk the talk, they cultivate a Delightful Organisational Culture (DOC) that nurtures Delightful Employee Experience (DEX) which empowers Delightful Customer Experience (DCX).