I’m in a FB group for the course hosting platform I use for my courses.
One of the other members posted a question asking how to restrict customers to using a limited number of registered devices to access their course. Like Netflix or iTunes does with their accounts. This isn’t a feature on the platform. Someone responded it’s not that easy to implement.
I asked “Why do you want to do this? Are you experiencing a problem right now with people signing on from too many devices?”
The reply was “if people shared their login, then it’s a huge problem.”
I’m using this specific example for what is a more general issue. Something I see a lot in “expert” communities. Communities like course creation. Industries like software and technology. It’s a scarcity mentality thing. Experts often think that the content they are providing is of such high value they need to protect it. Where I believe the big value-add of your expertise is more often the experience the customer has in how you provide it to them. Restricting access doesn’t provide any benefit for that. And it may actually get in the way.
Unlike these experts, I strive to hold an abundance mentality and to attract customers with an abundance mentality too. So, for me restricting access, when that isn’t typical for most course providers, would be going against brand.
It might be different “if” it was a current problem. But it didn’t sound like it by the reply.
You do need to make technology decisions that build a secure reliable platform for customers. This happens early in your setup and decisions are often foundational.
Beyond that I make most of my technology decisions based on whether it is providing value to the customer. The “so-that” in agile user stories. Focusing problem solving on customer problems.
In business what is scarce is time, energy, and resources. Abundant business growth occurs when you apply these to extending the value and experience your customers receive from your expertise. Not when you make it harder for them.
It’s a slightly different angle of the squeaky wheel discussion I presented last week. In this case the squeaky wheel is a customer that is abusing the system by sharing it.
Better to implement technology in a way that attracts and satisfies the larger segment of good customers. Ask what would make their sessions more attractive. Possibly track the customer so that you can do things that nurture or provide a unique experience the next time they log in. (Incidentally, something that might be lost if they shared their access.)
For me the whole thing comes down to a core belief I have that technology is a tool help us do business better. That it’s more important to view technology that something you use to make doing business with you easier faster and smarter.
Rather than using technology as a hammer in this case. There might be other ways to identify if people are abusing the system. For example, it would be easily spotted if you are already tracking engagement for the purpose of nurturing. Then revoke access for the one or two bad actors. Rather than designing the whole system around this “if”. A trap to avoid when problem solving.
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