So, I have a gentleman… who comes around to the house from the local farm. He sells… eggs, potatoes, etc… you know, all the goodies that you’re likely to purchase from a farm.
Now, he’s a little elderly, and has been coming over for a few years. We always end up buying something as it’s fresh, it’s local and he’s such a friendly guy. He often gives us recipes or just some hints and tips on what we can cook… and asks us what did we cook, did we enjoy it, etc… basically it’s a human form instead of receiving one of those online survey emails.
He came last Thursday, and whilst I purchased some goods from him… I said, hold fire… I’m not sure I’ve got enough cash (he always takes cash). To me surprise… he says, “Bal, it’s ok… I got me one of those card readers” and then pulls out an iZettle card reader!
Whilst this wouldn’t surprise many – he just totally wowed me. Because,
- He’s an elderly fella. You’d think, would he be okay using such tech? Does he know how online payments work? Hope he’s calculated the % that the company will take? ….. But, when I asked him about all that, his reply…. “Bal, you got to move with the times. I just want to make it easy for customers to pay”
- Is he really going to make a lot of money? Is it worth the hassle? Will people still buy from him? Does he trust the tech? – “Bal, you have to trust the tech – I did some reading – and it all seemed ok. Tested it out… the money did come into my bank. And it’s not really any more hassle…. in fact, makes the process easier”
That last line got me. Makes the process easier.
We often forget…. the goal of any business or organisation is the customer. The more we can make it easier for them, the better it is.
Again…. it’s about the timeline, from the moment we start (making, developing, or in this case… picking the goods at the farm)… to the point we receive the cash.
Look at all those process steps and make the process as lean as possible.