Putting the information into IT

UK households are struggling to make the most of IT, so channel players should try to make offerings simpler to use, writes Ian Lettice

In the 1970s the average UK home had 17 electrical appliances. Today that figure is 47. A recent study also proved that eight out of 10 UK adults routinely need help with everyday technology tasks and more than two thirds have thrown away faulty electrical products without any attempt to repair them. Customer care lines are busier than ever. Even so, most people just scratch the surface when it comes to getting the most out of their PC, phone, multifunction printer or software application.

So UK households are paying for more sophisticated products, yet using them less and disposing of them more readily – simply because they are just too difficult to use and fix.

The more features manufacturers cram in, the more difficult products become to use. But help is at hand

for the technically challenged. Techguys’ ‘home help’ service offered by PC World, Dixons and Currys will fix a 42in flat-screen plasma TV to the wall, explain how it works and even clean up afterwards – for just £299!

And if a customer tries to call the manufacturer’s helpline, the chances are that they will be kept waiting for some time on a premium rate number. It is not very difficult to see that the price on the box is not the same as the total cost of purchase and ownership.

However, in the UK we are just catching up with the US where Best Buy, the largest electrical retailer, already has 12,000 employees in its Geek Squad, a team of ‘home helpers’ for the technically illiterate that generates an annual income of $1.25bn.

But services such as these are simply an attempt to solve a problem that shouldn’t exist. Manufacturers, VARs and retailers should try to avoid this need by making their products easier to use and by providing clear, straightforward user-friendly product literature and guides.

Information that helps customers use a product should be funded from a marketing budget, not a manufacturing one. This simple change could bring about a psychological

shift in approach to become a selling function, rather than an operating one. Creating a positive customer experience creates a loyal customer and this has significant return on investment.

Ian Lettice is managing director of Clear.