Some of the best companies in the world have excelled because they work very “hard” to make their customer’s life easier! My favorites are Southwest Airlines and Apple. As a frequent traveler, I am a big fan of Southwest Airlines. It isn’t just because I like peanuts, but because they make flying easier! They have a simple to use website, great frequent flyer program, no bag fees and I don’t get penalized for changing flights or postponing a trip. Southwest understands the customer and has created programs and policies that are easy to work with. They make the flights fun with attendants that joke with you, celebrate holiday themes and genuinely enjoy their work. They may not always have the least expensive flight from Kansas City, but they are always the easiest choice because of how they treat the customer. While many of the nation’s airlines are reorganizing and filing bankruptcy, Southwest continues to grow because they labor greatly in making their customer’s life easy.
Another great example of “easy” is using the Apple products. Steve Jobs and the engineers at Apple knew the intuitions of their users and created products that just make sense. When you buy an apple I-phone, the user manual is seldom needed because whoever uses the product can just figure it out. If you have ever used another smart phone, when you try the I-Phone, you appreciate how easy it is to use and how powerful it can be. Apple has made multi-tasking a breeze and staying in touch simple. I have been slower to adapt to the Apple mentality as I thought business would always be dependent on the PC, Blackberry and Microsoft programs, but I understand firsthand how “making products easy” can influence how business gets done.
My hope for PRIER is that we can emulate these great companies by being easy to do business with. Our goal in our mission statement is to have fun at work and be our customer’s best vendor. This commitment drives us to be “easy to do business with”. Our new website, email marketing program, blog and social media outlets are all ways that we want to get your feedback and learn how we can improve. In 2012 our business is growing and our strategy of being “easy” is working. Make no mistake about this, nothing comes easy without hard work, but we love what we are doing and know it is worth it!
