Instant Gratification

I admit it.  I am a sucker for the impulse ‘purchase’ displays that have multiplied lately in strategically placed areas at all my usual haunts…grocery checkouts are the worst.  Do I really ‘need’ the milk chocolate salted caramel pretzels that are on special?  Absolutely, I do.  Suddenly, I am hungry.  And incredibly skinny (thus, I can totally have the whole bag).  I am oblivious to my original charter… coffee, cream, milk.  

Then there is ‘the store.’  You know the one.  A lamp, bedspread, and candle can transform your dull, drab and boring bedroom into something magical.  Undoubtedly, the every-day stresses of a full-time job, three kids, two dogs and a husband will float away as soon as I light my new candle.  Admit it…you know the candle.   And for the record, men are not immune from this phenomenon either.  Yard tools and car parts are cousins of candles and bedspreads.

This leads me to wonder: do we as consumers really understand the genius of placement, lighting, pricing strategies, color etc.?  Perhaps somewhere in the dark recesses (denial) of our brains, we do.  But it’s fun.  It feels good.  It’s easy.  It’s a distraction. It’s emotional. 

Do my clients feel the same level of emotion and heightened ‘energy’ (chocolate pretzels!) when they approach a new ‘customer service’ charter?   Is this buyer journey similar in nature to the ‘impulse’ aisle – easily swayed by all things shiny, easy, distracting, not to mention within reach and comfortable? 

By no means do I intend to oversimplify this inordinate undertaking.  Businesses everywhere have to shift gears and change quickly in order to survive and compete.  Social, Web, and mobile is changing the way businesses need to think and act.  However, I am continually surprised by the way some organizations make technology purchase decisions.  They are indeed swayed by ease, familiarity, and instant gratification.  “If I can get this contact center desktop strategy implemented quickly, using the resources I already have, and the development methods we have always used…and come in under budget, then everybody wins.” 

Not so fast.  Time and again I have encouraged our clients to look at their way of doing business differently.  I have had many candid conversations asking, “If you simply re-create the mess you currently own in your shiny new technology solution – aren’t you setting yourself up for future failure all over again?” 

Slow down and look closely at all the pain point you need to solve. Remember your end user population is only as good as the solutions you implement to support them.  Shiny, new and easy may not sustain over the long haul.  Oh, and by the way, the milk chocolate and caramel-covered pretzels that I thought were a total deal – they were stale.

About the Author:

Terri is a Sr. CRM Marketing Manager at Pegasystems Inc. with over 18 years’ experience in CRM and contact center senior leadership.  Throughout her time in the contact center industry, she was responsible for managing all aspects of inbound and outbound contact centers within various verticals. These experiences included the start-up of new contact centers, ongoing management of key contact center processes and technology, and consolidation of centers and outsourcing.