Solve the Human Frustration First
"The customer’s perception is your reality." – Kate Zabriskie
Recently, I watched a business-related YouTube show about the creation and rise of both Uber and Airbnb. About midway through the speech, the speaker said the following …
“The point I am making here is that the leaders of these companies were committed to helping solve the human frustration first.”
In my classes, I often use a similar point when I mention to the students that the thriving businesses today are the ones who focus on removing the pain points faced by consumers.
Uber
Given that I’ve traveled for work since my early 20s, I see the value provided by Uber’s peer-to-peer (P2P) concept.
My frustration before Uber: I found the taxi system very cumbersome and quite unfair. I remember the many times I hailed a cab to get to my work destination. It always appeared to me that the meter was moving a bit too fast, which meant the bill would be high.
Here was my big frustration with taxis … In many cases, the driver frowned when I asked if I could pay with a credit card, and so I had to go with the cash option. When I did not have the exact amount for the fare, the driver claimed he did not have any change, so it was convenient to round-up!
Oh … when it came to reimbursement of expenses, I think you remember the blank pieces of paper provided by the taxi driver, and in some cases, they did not have them available.
Airbnb
As a family, we’ve stayed in our share of Airbnb’s, and for the most part, it has worked out well.
Before this type of accommodation became available, a family had the following options:
Stick as many people into one double-bed room as possible and pray they had a rollaway bed available. As you can imagine, even with a family of four, this can be quite a mess.
Add an additional room(s) to the reservation, which will drive up the costs. If the kids are younger than 18, this creates a separate issue when they are staying in another room. As you probably know, hotels require an adult to be in each room.
·Cancel the reservation and do something else given the inconvenience and cost.
My Takeaway
I often find something valuable when listening to people share their thoughts and experiences.
Here are some ways I can remove the frustrations to solve a problem …
When a student needs some extra attention for their homework, I can provide clear guidance. It’s important to show a compassionate and caring attitude, one that indicates to the student I truly care about their success.
When a family member is facing a dilemma, I can learn more about the situation to see how I can be of assistance. In most cases, they merely need someone willing to listen to them, and it requires nothing more than my undivided attention.
When a co-worker has fallen behind on a project, I can step in and help meet the deadline.
One important lesson for me is knowing people will often avoid seeking guidance, help, or assistance. They might think they can solve a problem on their own or may be embarrassed to reach out to others.
Therefore, it’s important for me to be proactive and help others when I can.
I know I cannot solve all human frustrations, but I can do my part, even if this means just holding someone’s hand to show I care.
See you next week, my friends!
Closing Quotes
"If you’re not solving a problem for your customer, you’re not in business." – Unknown
"Every contact we have with a customer influences whether or not they’ll come back." –Shep Hyken
Homework Inquiry
During the next week, here’s your homework inquiry: How will you be a problem solver?
I use this opportunity to share with you a unique story and a couple inspiring quotes. Oh ... as a professor at heart, you guessed it, I have a homework inquiry for you. This is a powerful question that might just trigger you to take action on something that really matters in your life. If you feel the Catalyst Newsletter brings benefit to you.