Book Review: Simplifying Complexity

One of the first lessons any writer learns is to have a title that grabs the attention of the reader.  I think that Jim Champy has accomplished that in his book about Go Daddy called Simplifying Complexity.  Who wouldn’t want to simplify complexity?  Go Daddy is a great example of a company that set out to make things easier for their customers.  As the world becomes completely saturated by the internet, more and more people are purchasing domain names from Go Daddy and using their simple website creation tools.  Check out some of the things that I underlined while reading this short book…

  • At Go Daddy, Parsons pares away the complexity with a business model that relies on the basics: Give customers feature-rich products, low pricing, and great support from real people located on-site and rigorously trained to solve any and every problem.
  • Customers have only one telephone number to call and need to speak to just one person, because all Customer Care center employees are trained to handle any problem or customer inquiry—whether it’s related to billing, design, repair, or anything in between. All needed help is free of charge. It’s the ultimate example of simplifying a customer’s life.
  • But a well-managed company that makes great products backed up by equally great service can still flop if too few people know about it.
  • Train your eye on customers’ unmet needs and quirks.
  • High-tech requires high touch. A naïve view believes that technology-based businesses can be programmed to run on their own. Just create a sophisticated Web site that anticipates all possible customer questions and problems, and let the customer do the work. For a complex service or product, I have never seen this strategy work. Customers who have problems need access to real people.
  • Go beyond the ordinary with service. If your engagement proposition is based on good service, good just isn’t good enough. Your standard of performance needs to be substantially better than that of your competitors to sustain your market position and to get the attention of potential customers.
  • Metrics matter.
  • In business, the observer effect occurs when people in the company see what you’re tracking. What you measure signals what’s important and the outcome you’re aiming for. People get it, and soon they are coming up with ideas designed to advance your goals—assuming that you have the right people on the job.

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