Who hasn’t been frustrated by a “press one for English” menu system? Over time, these systems have become more sophisticated. Voice recognition, caller ID, and detailed research and analysis of caller feedback have all done their part, but we still don’t like the ‘auto-attendant.’

It would be easier for police to find speeding highway drivers if there were just two lanes. But that would create catastrophic traffic jams. Instead, they must sort through 5 or more lanes of highway commuters.

These examples show us that in transactional relationships, making something easy on one side often means increasing difficulties on the other. The ‘auto-attendant’ certainly makes things easier for the people providing support, but commonly at the expense of frustration and difficulty for the caller. You can’t grow a business by making your customers jump through flaming hoops to talk to you.

Lower Barriers

People generally take the path of least resistance. Our nature wants tasks to be easy, especially the monotonous, mundane, or undesirable ones. Expert consultants are paid millions to help companies be more efficient (i.e. easier for employees). How often is the same effort given to simplify the customer experience?

We are easily irritated when we feel we are being mistreated or marginalized. In today’s fast-paced, always-on world, the expectation for rapid and courteous service has risen dramatically. It’s rare to find a company that puts as much emphasis on the customer experience as they do on the employee experience, but oh how they shine when discovered.

The intersection where customers, clients, or visitors meet the systems designed to support them is the most critical point of business. Balance must be found. If it’s easy to support customers but hard to access that support, the risk of alienating and losing them looms. Likewise, if it’s easy for the customer and difficult for the company, becoming overwhelmed and failing is all too possible.

A Customer-Tilted System

Perfect equilibrium isn’t necessarily the answer. If the scale must tip, let it tip towards the customer. Yes, it may mean you need to stay up until 3am answering email directly instead of using a ‘support system.’ You might need to hire more people to answer phones or stand behind a counter. Just make sure you are delivering a good customer experience, even when it makes you break a sweat. Do it right, and it will pay off in satisfied customers. Satisfied customers buy from you and tell their friends to buy from you, which leads to a growing business. It’s better to spend a little of your own effort than have your customers spend theirs. As legendary football coach Lou Holtz said, “No one has ever drowned in their own sweat.”