«SOS! A short circuit in the system

When we buy a mobile phone, car or washing machine, we expect to be able to talk on the phone, move from one point to another, or wash 6 kg of clothes.

Most of us do not know about computers, mechanics or electronics, and we probably do not even care so, far from wanting to inform us about the innards of such inventions, we do need the clerk who serves us to “promise” us a certain guarantee of consistency in its operation.

We need to know that, under optimal conditions, our computer or washing machine will work in a certain way and not another. What happens when one of these devices breaks that coherence and begins to “behave” in a strange way? The first thing that usually comes to mind is “it's broken” and then we call a mechanic, an electrician, or a computer scientist to fix it.

A couple of months ago my computer screen started to fail or, at least, to behave differently than it had been doing until now. I honestly think I could speak much more fluently about the social customs of the Lower Paleolithic than I could about computing, and yet even I realized that something was wrong. At the workshop where I went to have the problem solved, a very kind man explained to me that what was happening was something unimportant and they would fix it in just four days.

At first glance, my laptop was exactly the same as always: it was still white, it didn't have a single scratch, the keyboard had all the letters, the battery was completely new, the Internet connection worked perfectly, etc. Everything was in order except for that small damage or short circuit that had occurred. Yes, it was a simple failure, however, enough to cause my computer to stop working. 

Why, without being mechanics, engineers, or electricians, can we intuit that something is wrong with our computer? Well, not because we have X rays in our eyes and can detect with the naked eye that there is an overwriting virus in our software but because, suddenly, the operation of our Macbook Air It breaks the coherence that it maintained until now and according to which it should function.

Without being aware of it, we have absolutely embedded the idea that, for something to work, even the merest cable has to be in the right position making contact with the corresponding element because the slightest cut, short circuit or failure makes a robot that before was capable of making us some poached eggs in the morning, now I can't even walk two meters.

Harmony and connection between all parts is, inevitably, necessary. It seems logical, right? Well, apparently not. What seems so obvious to us in a refrigerator or hair dryer is unthinkable and invisible when it comes to ourselves.

Let's imagine a very classic scene in which a couple who is about to go out asks if she likes how she is dressed to which he gives his resounding approval in an appropriate and accommodating manner. After this response, she slams the door into the car and is silent all the way to the restaurant until they get into an endless argument. At this point we should ask ourselves, what went wrong? Did he give you a bad answer?… Obviously not, so to understand it we will have to think about more elements that were put into play. during the meeting: what tone of voice did he use? What body posture did he have? Was he looking at his Black Berry while he said it? Were they celebrating something special? and a million etc.further.

We are people, so we are not rational beings, nor emotional, nor capable of feeling pain when someone steps on us. We are all of that at the same time and when in an interaction, no matter how As simple as it may seem, only one of those three dimensions (cognitive, emotional and sensitive, respectively) is crossed out, coherence is broken. What is the consequence of this? The same thing that would occur in any other “machine”: we emit an illogical or unpredictable response in the eyes of the one who caused the short circuit. Really, when we turn to the right to ask our colleague to lend us a hand, or answer a question from a client, is it so difficult to maintain coherence and union between those axes that define us as human beings? Therefore, it is logical to think that no matter how much we inform the consumer of the advantages they will obtain when purchasing our new transportable dishwasher, if we only show him the box of said appliance and we do it sitting in a chair while yawning, he will end up crossing to the store across the street

Certain brands, companies, senior managers... do not understand the behavior of their clients or partners. “Why is it so difficult for me to retain consumer loyalty?” “How is it possible that in satisfaction studies we come out so badly?” No one questions the veracity and professionalism of its efforts to continue improving and meet the demands of each of its stakeholders. So where is the fault? We are probably overlooking something much more basic...

It is not the consumers, nor the clients, nor the partners, nor the cleaning staff of the companies, who are demanding something strange by expressing their dissatisfaction. Each and every one of us in any encounter, whether commercial or personal, do not expect to be treated in a special or idolizing way, we only ask to feel cared for and to be taken into account with everything that this implies. For this, as companies we cannot amputate, deny or forget any of the three dimensions that we mentioned two paragraphs above because, in fact, it is the combination of the three that makes us what we are: people.

Partner meetings, conferences coaching, conferences with the great Marketing gurus, etc. A multitude of acts and events to try to find and define new business strategies that push companies to almost resounding success in the market, but it is curious to see how, when we develop all these theories in which we play at being Philip Kotler, we forget the most obvious.

It is an irony to think that what, in theory, comes as standard to us is what is most difficult for us to put into practice. No one is born knowing how to analyze an income statement, or create a Communication Plan, and despite this, we become true experts in such skills. Yes, we have that capacity, but what is it about what, by nature, we are “professionals” in? What about those traits that reveal and reinforce our essence?

When a baby is born, one of the things that impacts us the most is its look; When entering a store, the first thing we do is touch a product; When we get out of an elevator we appreciate that the person who enters says good morning to us with a smile on their face; and it bothers us that our boss doesn't know our name. All this seems very basic and, in fact, it is, although we should not be confused: “basic” does not mean unimportant, but quite the opposite. The Royal Spanish Academy defines “basic” as “belonging or relating to the base or bases on which something is based, fundamental” and here is the key. We cannot expect our brand image to grow, nor for our relationship with consumers to be increasingly better if we do not take into account the most basic, that is, what allows the rest of the marketing actions to make sense and which constitutes their main gear.

Here, I raise my voice to simply ask for coherence. Please let us not lose sight of who we are as companies or who our customers are because, in fact, we are the same “thing.” Personally, I don't quite understand why we think that dealing with clients, consumers, suppliers or partners is something different than when the interlocutor is a friend, or a child. The truth is that, we are what we are in each and every one of the things we do. Our nature does not vary by the mere fact that we are dressed in a suit and tie or in sports clothes, so it seems absurd to me that we are surprised when a client asks for the claim form, and yet, when we get home and give a bad response to our partner we are capable of asking for forgiveness.

For all this, it does not seem to make much sense to make exorbitant investments in an interactive box that opens with a remote control and brings your shoes to the very foot of the bed while it plays Rihanna's latest hit, if we do it without barely looking the consumer in the eye because what's the point of this? Isn't that a short circuit? Should we be surprised if this consumer never returns to our store? In my opinion, the answer to this last question is a resounding “no” since it would be like expecting any machine to respond to our demands with only part of the parts and systems that compose it, or without soldering the cables that were singed when jump over the control panel leads. 

Celia Fernández-Carnicero