The notion is that in reality you can only pick two. To expect all three would be unrealistic.
Now, as a tactic for managing expectations, I understand the appeal. We are all guilty of expecting too much, too good, too fast sometimes, and when we do, our expectations must be managed.
But you also need to be careful not to allow this expectation-managing mindset to sink in further. Because, fundamentally, the idea that things can’t be good, fast and inexpensive is simply not true. Or at least, they can always be made better, faster and more cost-effectively.
Uber made taking a taxi faster, cheaper and friction-free. Warby Parker made it easier to get better looking glasses at lower prices without leaving your home. Netflix made it easier to watch your favourite shows on demand at a fraction of the cost of cable.
To paraphrase Jeff Bezos’ line, customers will always want low prices, fast delivery and vast selection. Amazon has been innovating since Day One to set and surpass relentlessly unrealistic expectations.
Instead of relegating themselves to a zero-sum world where making things good and fast comes at a hefty cost, or fast and cost-effective results in poor quality, forward-looking companies are using digital innovation to create a world of abundance, bringing the previously impossible into everyday existence.
Insert the same diagram as above but with Digital Innovation replacing the words “Not Possible”
It’s all part of the broad shift toward customer centricity. In today’s digital age, consumers are more connected and better informed than ever before. They have more power, and no time or money to waste. They don’t want to be told they have to pick two. They want all three. They expect more, faster, for less.
Like it or not, we’re living in an era of “unrealistic” consumer expectations. The internet, smartphones, and various other digital technologies have changed the game. Brands can no longer afford to be realistic.
To meet rising consumer expectations, the healthcare industry is quickly pivoting toward a more customer-centric, value-based care approach. Just as consumers are opting for Uber and Netflix over paying for cabs and cable, patients are demanding easier access to better care at more affordable rates. Just as they spend less time at the store and more time shopping online, they also want to spend less time waiting at the pharmacy and the clinic and more time serving themselves.
At Blackcreek, we work with clients every day to deliver on these expectations. We start with the assumption that there’s a better, faster and more cost-effective way to do everything, that there’s always a way to have our cake and eat it too.
The world is full of inefficiency, waste and under-utilized technology. We collaborate with our clients to figure out how to apply new ideas in new ways to achieve results that were previously impossible.
Working with imaware™, Blackcreek recently built an ultra-secure digital health platform that integrates a state-of-the-art patient portal with industry-leading lab testing technology to deliver precise results, with just five drops of blood. In other words, we’re working together to revolutionize at-home blood testing; to make it better, faster and less expensive.
Similarly, MedAvail partnered with Blackcreek to reinvent the pharmacy experience. Instead of waiting for 45 minutes at a traditional pharmacy, patients are now able to use a mobile application and streamlined kiosk experience to refill medications in as little as 60 seconds, at any time of day. Getting prescriptions refilled is now faster, more convenient and more secure.
Managing expectations is one thing. Believing in the impossible is another.
You know you’re doing truly innovative work when you’re able to set and surpass unrealistic expectations.
The history of innovation is written by those with unrealistic expectations. At Blackcreek, we proudly work to be part of that history every day.
That’s why we’re bold by default.
