Making Change Simpler - Why B2B should look at B2C solutions

The well-worn phrase “change is hard” needs a fresh look. Is it the change that’s hard or overcoming the adoption hurdles?

If we compare B2C companies that deploy content for a subscription vs. B2B companies that do the same, there are three key areas where B2B is missing the boat:

-??????? Content is crucial

-??????? Experience is important

-??????? Introducing change for adoption

Content takes on many forms. When you’re thinking about well known B2C companies like Netflix, it’s their movies and shows. Amazon is digital products like Kindle books or Music and physical products too numerous to count. Having things that people want to consume, whether for business or pleasure, is important. Having the same type of content within our applications at work doesn’t seem to resonate. The user at work is the consumer at home, so why do we make it difficult to generate, manage, and use content? We hear that people won’t go back and fix their content (data), but it means we’re layering fancy new tech on top of subpar information.

Experience (UX) matters. As we’ve migrated from mainframe green screen to desktop/laptop, to tablets and phones… Oh wait, we think everyone has migrated, and while most have for personal use, hold the phone, it’s not everyone in a work context. Work orders are still printed, handwritten whiteboards are prevalent on many factory floors, and Excel is likely the most popular “app” many use. If we continue to make the experience difficult, people will do “just enough to not get fired” as Peter Gibbons, portrayed by Ron Livingston, said in the 1999 movie Office Space.

Again, B2C companies may not have experience licked, but they don’t make you fill out 37 fields to get to a show you want to watch. While Google starts filling in your search request on any number of topics, we still have applicant tracking systems (ATS) that essentially make you fill in your resume, after you upload your resume. Companies that invest in improving the experience know that this investment improves the quality of content, which makes for happier and more productive employees. It’s a great balance of benefits for the user and the organization, so the ROI seems clear in investing in a better experience for colleagues.

A final area where B2C does a better job is in introducing change. Whether it’s an app on your phone or your favorite website, chances are, it’s changed, and significantly as the underlying technology changes. Sometimes sites do a complete overhaul. Those tend to lead to a bit of initial shock and confusion. However, if the site owner does that, it’s likely for a substantive reason. Gradual changes happen all the time. Again, while one may notice or complain initially, you either adapt or stop using the app or site. Often, you’ll forget quickly the “old way” it worked and move on.

While we deal with regulatory issues, documentation, IT procedures, or a whole host of “reasons” why change needs to be difficult in B2B, the evidence seldom holds up. Before anyone jumps on regulatory, particularly things like FDA or 508 compliance, I get it, I’ve dealt with it, and understand that it can be cumbersome. But we make it harder on ourselves and our colleagues by doing big bang upgrades, implementations, and the like. Even as more development moves to Agile, we still run too many projects in a Waterfall approach. That means more training, productivity losses during transitions, and FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) with users. Nature’s fight or flight response kicks in hard when talking about change, and I believe it’s a massive contributor to the high percentage of failed initiatives. Knowing your user, understanding their tolerance for change, and helping reduce their natural resistance will yield dividends in your efforts.

B2C companies moved to a subscription model for content consumption in many areas. Those that succeed offer content that people are willing to pay for, an experience that typically doesn’t frustrate them to the point of tossing the remote or their phone, and they’ve learned to manage changes to ease people into it where possible. When they rip the bandage off for wholesale changes, it’s often because there was a risk assessment done on fallout or it was needed for their tech or model to stay relevant. While B2B moves to embrace the revenue model, many have fallen woefully short of improving collection and usage of data, creating solutions that are intuitive and increase productivity, and still move too slow making the change painful for users, in both complexity and time.