It's been over 22 years since we built and bought our last home. Over that time, technology was whizzing along while our home and appliances lived in the early years of the 20th century. This was pre… Amazon, Google, Facebook, iPhone and so much more. How time has flown by, but most of the tech and appliances in our old home still worked, so why replace them (especially while selling the house.) Sure, we had to replace a washer, dryer, and fridge, but what could possibly change there? I had a lot to learn.

The Basics

You would think that a fridge, washer dryer, dishwasher, microwave, and oven would all be as universal as they were a while ago, but alas, technology has changed (for the better.) The fridge connects via Bluetooth to your phone. The garage door opener (which I have still not gotten to work), connects through WIFI to my phone and Apple Watch. The dishwasher now has to be programmed. The washer and dryer do not just buzz when they are done, they SING to you. The microwave is a combo microwave and a convection oven.

We have a stack of manuals as thick as the dictionary, and you must read each to get things working correctly (and not break things).

Granted, technology has given us YouTube videos for some of it, but just searching for the right one is as frustrating as reading the small type and pretty pictures in the manuals. Then try reaching tech support. Most companies try to direct you to their website so you can go through the FAQs before talking to a human (if they even exist anymore.)

Change

Change is hard and wonderful at the same time. There is so much new to learn and discover, but it can be irritating to try to get your coffee warmed up without consulting a book. You have to be patient and just slog through it. One appliance, function, and manual at a time.

In Chicago, businesses were open late on the weekends to accommodate working people. I am sure the last few years have made companies rethink their business operations including when you open and close to the public. We are now in rural North Carolina. I had to learn that lesson when I needed a few screws to install the keyboard drawer on my desk.

For some reason, the package did not include screws to mount it to the bottom of the desk. The best I could make sense of that (other than some packer forgot them) is that every desk has a different thickness, and you had to measure that and use correctly sized screws. Too short and they would not handle the weight. Too long, and they would poke through the top ruining the desk surface.

I went to the local Ace Hardware (less than a mile from my house) on a Saturday night, and they closed 10 minutes before I got there (at 6:10.) I can remember running to Ace and Home Depot at 9 or 10 pm in an emergency, but not here!

Sunday they opened at noon (after church) so I went in, found the right-sized wood screws (with a little help from the “Helpful Hardware Man”), and headed home to finish the project.

Instructions

I have talked about assembling furniture for my office. Some of the instructions had text so small, that I had to take pictures with my cell phone camera and blow them up to read what it was telling me to do. Others had a page-by-page, step-by-step system that included numbered bags of parts needed for each phase of the construction. I had to deal with a mix of manufacturers and their instruction manuals.

The same goes for the operations of the appliances I mentioned. Thankfully, the builder and contractors saved me from reading the installation instructions. When it comes to the operations of each device, each company has a different method and clarity of instructing you how to use it. It's maddening when you only get one page and it does not explain the options or the uses in detail.

Add to that, some manufacturers save money by not including a manual. They put QR codes in places only a gymnast would find. You use your camera, click, and it brings up their user manual in PDF on your phone. So then I go back to my computer and copy the URL so I can read it on my 50″ TV. Then, I have to run between my office, the kitchen, garage, laundry room, and more just to follow the instructions. Heck… the TV had a 180-page manual, and I still could not find a picture explaining the inputs and outputs!

High Tech Set-Up

Some of the other new things I have bought have apps associated with them. That would include TVs, a Ring Doorbell and Security Cameras, and Amazon Echo Show, to see what's on those cameras. Granted, each device lets you set up an online account and often gives you a cell phone app that makes setup much easier. It guides you step-by-step through the setup process and even congratulates you when you have done it right, and guides you through common pitfalls.

But now factor in that you have to use different platforms to make the system work, and there is a lack of cohesiveness in making it all go “Kumbaya” and working seamlessly together. Then factor in that each has enough setting options (because they can), that it would take another dictionary to show you it all.

The Lesson – Final Thoughts

When it comes to your business, do you have instructions that you give your customers or clients? I am rethinking how I disburse instructions to them. How can I make what I do repetitively, be more like that office furniture that had the step-by-step pictures and parts in a corresponding numbered pack?

It makes sense to document what you do and ask someone who knows you to walk through the steps. Was it clear and concise or did it make them feel like a one-armed gymnast with bad eyesight (kind of how I've been feeling.)

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.”
– Dr. Seuss

I would love to hear about your challenges or successes in creating or simply following instructions. How can you use this to help your clients? Do you document your process? What feedback have you gotten?

Comment below and share your thoughts, ideas, or questions about how you follow the instructions.

To learn more about this and other topics on B2b Sales & Marketing, visit our podcast website at The Bacon Podcast.