Adaptive Path Blog

I’m anxiously waiting for a package to be delivered by FedEx. Part of the fun of receiving a package from one of the major delivery services these days is the ability to track it. My new backpack began its journey in Enfield, Britain yesterday, passed through Stansted before making the hop across the pond to Memphis. At the moment it’s sitting in the back of some truck driving through the streets of San Francisco, on its way to me. It’s fascinating to watch the process of a global logistics company at work.

FedEx’s package tracking is only the tip of the iceberg. Last week’s New York Times business section rightly pointed out that most imnportant processes that make for a great user experience are hidden. These are the enabling technologies and processes that deliver great experience and incredible business value. Think of Google’s search algorithm and vast computing centers, or Intel’s chip manufacturing processes. You can bet that a lot of the processes that FedEx is using to deliver my order are secret.

Yet none of these companies tout process or technology when speaking to customers. Google delivers search results, Intel makes your computer faster and FedEx delivers your package on time. These companies are smart enough to know that what’s happening under the hood isn’t as important as the experience. Others aren’t. To channel James Carville: it’s the experience, stupid.

So leave the technology and process, no matter how dazzling, under the hood. By all means, work on it like mad. Plow resources into it. But on the surface, remove the underlying complexity and deliver the experience that people want. It’s good business strategy and it delivers the protectable IP that gives you a real edge.

Now if only FedEx could work on how they handle “delivery exceptions.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 at 11:46 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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