Change is good, but sometimes it's hard to convince your customers. Some people are just naturally resistant to change. They like for things to stay the way they've always been. Others become more reluctant to adapt to changes as they get older. It may be a fear of learning something new or just a discomfort with using unfamiliar technology. Then there are those people who resist change just on principle. You can require your employees to learn how to do things differently, but what do you do about your change resistant customers? You can't force them to adapt without risking the loss of their business. The key is to find creative ways to encourage them to switch over to the new method. Keep reading to learn more and to see how our simple small business inventory system can help.
Many years ago I worked in a library that was computerizing their card catalog. Many of the longtime patrons didn't want to use a computer to look up their books. The card catalog was familiar. They knew how to find what they wanted and they felt comfortable flipping through the row of cards. Several of the patrons argued that the computer system could never replace the cards. Many times a title would catch their eye as they were looking for something else entirely. How could they have that same experience if they just typed in the title they were looking for and the computer told them where to find it?
The key here was identifying the patrons's concerns. In this case, they recognized that the computer was an efficient way of locating books, but they were concerned that they would miss out on those surprise finds along the way. By adding a field to the search that recommends like titles and increasing the number of book displays throughout the library we were able to convince patrons that they would still be able to find 'surprise' titles of interest while locating what they came in looking for in a faster, easier manner.
We also phased out the card catalog slowly. First, we stopped typing up paper cards for new additions to the library collection. As patrons realized that they weren't going to find new books in the old catalog they started giving the new system a try. If you maintain both the old and new system, many customers will choose to stick with what they know. They need a reason to make the switch. You don't have to abruptly take away the old, familiar way, but you do need to nudge them into giving the new way a chance.
If all else fails, you can always provide additional incentives. You can offer discounts or a chance to win prizes for those customers who make the switch.
The important thing to keep in mind is that you had a reason for changing the way that you do things. Whether it was to save time, save money or just make your job easier, you had an objective in mind when you decided to implement new technology or create a new process or procedure. Don't lose sight of that just because you get a little pushback from your customers. Show them why the new way is better and you can all move forward together.
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