EASY – A Word and a Concept That is Quite Easy!

EASY- Understanding the Concept

In general, anything you can do without much effort, be it physical or mental, is considered an easy thing to do. But, we also make the mistake of believing that anything achieved or done easily is not worthy enough to be appreciated.

"Oh! He could do it easily. So, what is the big deal about it?" is the general thinking pattern most of us have about easy-to-do things. Yes. Knowingly or unknowingly, we do look down upon "easy" tasks. Most often, relying on easy ways to do a task is considered lazy, incompetent, and inefficient. Ever wondered why?

" We are conditioned over the course of our lifetimes to believe that in order to overachieve, we must overdo."

Effortless- By Greg McKeown

This is where we need to start correcting ourselves and understand the real value of "easy." If you have to do a task that you feel might be difficult to handle, start by changing your perspective. Instead of asking, "why is it so hard?" ask yourself, "how can this be done easily?"

Challenge yourself and the mindset that believes that the best way is the "hard" way. Take the indirect approach and ask yourself why you are choosing the hard way when there is always an easy way to do things. All you need is to find it.

And, the benefits? You no longer have to stress over “difficult” things, spend sleepless nights trying to do things the hard way, and the best of all — your productivity levels will also shoot up!

The fact is that " when we feel overwhelmed, it may not be because the situation is inherently overwhelming. It may be because we are over-complicating something in our own heads."

Tell yourself that " Not everything requires the extra mile."

"A Smarter Mind is the One That Finds the Easiest Solutions"

What is Not Easy? Simple is Not Easy!

People often use the words "easy" and "simple" interchangeably. Well, they almost mean the same. Isn't it?

But let us burst the bubble- Simple is not easy! While simple is the opposite of complex, easy is the opposite of hard. Complexity is objective, and hard is subjective.

Example: It can be "hard" to complete a task because you don't have the tool to do it. It can be "complex" when you do not really understand the concept.

With the right tools and methods, we can complete deadlines and projects "easily" rather than worrying about working "hard" to achieve the same. So, finding "easy" solutions is what we need to aim for.

Now that we know what "easy" is, let us now steer our focus to "easy experience" —  the term businesses and brands should focus on!

Easy or Delightful? What Impresses The Customer The Most?

Often brands make the mistake of focusing only on delighting customers and not on making the entire journey easy for customers. But, isn't customer delight everything?"- We can see your raised eyebrows. Of course, it is. But before we validate this, let us go straight to two simple questions:

1. How many customers patronize your brand because you provided them with a delightful experience?

Very few? They might smile, say thank you, and leave. But will they return? Will they stay loyal? Will they recommend you? Maybe or maybe not.

2. How often will a company lose a customer because they offered a terrible experience?

Always! Every single time! There is no doubt about it. If the service is poor, you need not expect to see them again.

A customer is always tuned to "punish" a bad service rather than "rewarding" a good service.

A delightful experience will create "feel good" moments for your customer. However, your customers will remain loyal to you if you offer them an easy experience every single time. It doesn't matter even if you are unable to offer them an over-the-top unforgettable experience.

Making It Easy - What Does it Involve?

Haven’t we heard of the phrase “Make it easy” often? In fact, most of us have tried to “make things easy” for others. But what exactly does it mean to make it easy? What are we trying to achieve when we try to make it easy for others?

When we try to make it easy, we actually try to influence people to perform an action the way we want them to. In fact, many renowned theorists have further corroborated this.

Nobel laureate Richard Thaler unveils the secret sauce of persuasion in his book "Nudge."  One of the founding fathers of behavioural economics and a 2017 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Thaler shares his mantra for successful persuasion - “Make it Easy”. At the heart of his book, he explains - “When I say make it easy, what I mean is, if you want to get somebody to do something, make it easy"

His philosophy is underpinned by a simple behavioral concept known as “Cognitive Fluency.”

Cognitive fluency refers to an individual's perception or subjective assessment of how easy or difficult it is to perform a mental task. Essentially, it measures how easy it is to think about something. As it turns out, people actually prefer simple, straightforward actions over those requiring complicated thinking.

Importantly, it does not indicate the actual difficulty of the task. Instead, it represents how users perceive it and the feelings they associate with it.

Importantly, it does not indicate the actual difficulty of the task. Instead, it represents how users perceive it and the feelings they associate with it.

How Does Cognitive Fluency Work?

Cognitive fluency works anytime, even subconsciously, when we are in a situation weighing information and deliberating between different options. Its influence on our decisions and choices is just as significant as our conscious, rational thinking.

Think about this: if you want to persuade your customer to take action - let’s just say, buy a product, ask for more information, or call your toll-free number. Would it be better if:

• It appears to be easy?

• It appears to be difficult?

There is no doubt that "easy" is the best option. Most of us would take the obvious actions of removing unnecessary steps, making forms as short as possible (remember the times when you decided to buy a product but backed out seeing a dozen fields on the enquiry form), and many such simplified actions.

How to use Cognitive Fluency?

Your cognitive fluency affects what you communicate as well as who you intend to reach with your message. So, whenever you are crafting a message, ask yourself the following questions.

• Is your message easy to see?

• Is it easy to hear?

• Is it easy to read?

• Is it easy to understand?

• Is it easy to perform?

Now that we have understood the science behind cognitive fluency, let us see how it applies to real-time situations.

Easy Experience- Make Life "Easy" For Your Customer

To create loyal customers, you need to make life easier for them. Your goal should be to influence their cognitive fluency, not challenge it.

Let us explain this with a hypothetical situation. Imagine you have an office located 1000 steps above the ground level. Your customer climbs up these 1000 steps to reach your office only to be informed that they have to climb down all those 1000 steps again to get a task done. Do you think this person will ever return for your service?

Now, assume you offer them smart technology to eliminate all these 1000 steps with just a single click. And, they don't even have to leave their home to do it. Doesn't that make it easy? This is precisely what your customer expects from you. Getting things done easily!

Remember, companies that make life harder for customers only repel them away from their product or service. It doesn’t matter if they provide refreshments, plush seating arrangements, or well-spoken customer care executives.

Connect EC- Connecting Employers and Candidates Easily

“The companies that make it easiest for the customers are going to win” - Shep Hyken.

So, it all comes down to building an easy experience, isn’t it?

Thus, with Connect EC, we endeavor to provide an "easy" experience for our customers. Whether you are a Candidate or you represent an Employer, Connect EC understands your perspective and offers an easy experience throughout the recruitment journey. EC offers you valuable insights to; connect with the right, pursue the better, and be the best.

Stay tuned as we reveal more about how your hiring experience is about to get EC. Easy all the way