Great Technology is Found at the Intersection of Simplicity and Functionality
When I buy a new cell phone, the last thing I want to do is sit through lengthy tutorials on how to use the most common functions. I just want it to work. I want it to be intuitive enough that it just makes sense. Seems like our day-to-day business applications should follow suit, but with technology evolving so quickly, the sophistication and difficulty of implementation is rising with it. The need for technology geared towards the enterprise to flaunt features that are so cumberso
me that they turn simple tasks into confusing, week long processes, is weakening the firm's abilities to focus on and service clients.
Technology should be used to improve productivity, not hinder it. We all prefer to use technology that we are used to and that supports our daily habits of meetings, email response, collaboration, etc. Too often, technology vendors forget the most important component of any service: the user. When the user sees how unfriendly and complicated the technology is, he or she will go back to what they are used to doing, much to the chagrin of the IT team who is trying to implement a safer, more stable platform for collaboration and productivity.
The bottom line is that technology is adopted when it is enjoyed. In order to enjoy the technology, it needs to be simple and intuitive. Simplicity doesn't mean sacrificing efficiency. A service can be simple, yet robust, secure and efficient for the firm's needs. One advantage of SaaS cloud-based applications is the ability to pick and choose only those options that will be essential for firm productivity. In this way, extra features that will not benefit the firm can be eliminated completely and out of the picture. Focusing on client success and customer service should be the top concern for a firm, and fumbling through confusing technology applications will only detract from that.
