Apr 16, 2022
“There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”
- Sam Walton
Sam Walton's words echo a fundamental truth in business: the ultimate power lies with the customer. Without customers, you wouldn’t have a business. Hence, your livelihood depends on
them. If you are anything like me, you are passionate about your product and the people that you serve. Adding massive value is your top priority.
Personal Reflection: Learning from Early Experiences
As an entrepreneur, as a product owner, as a builder, you have to make your customers feel that your product or service is valuable not just when they are being marketed that product or service but also when they are using that product or service. Else, they will get frustrated.
My thinking has not always been this. In my early days of building, selling and servicing the customers at Curelink, I only used to love the feedback coming from the happy and accommodating customer. I refrained from talking to angry and frustrated customers. I used to feel that the customers who were angry and frustrated were unfair or unreasonable, failing to see the bigger picture of the effort and dedication we put into our product at Curelink.
Shift in Perspective: Valuing Negative Feedback
But one day while reading about creating a good customer experience I came across this quote by Bill Gates wherein he goes on to say “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” It took me back to how this was true when I had never liked even talking to the unhappy customers!
I started to dig deeper into this and started questioning myself as to why some customers get frustrated and angry. To learn I started talking more to the unsatisfied customer for feedback than my satisfied customer with all the patience and calmness I had.
I came to realize that when they are buying a product or a service they are prioritizing spending their hard earned money on that specific product over something else which is important to them too.
With this, my perspective shifted. I began to see the most frustrated customers as my most important customers because if I was able to create value for someone who is prioritizing spending their hard earned money on my product over something else then I will be able to create value for anyone and everyone.
And it worked wonders. I started seeing that the frustrated customers often provided the most honest and direct feedback. When I talked about the feedback received from them to my happy customers I realized that even the happy customers agreed with some of the points raised by them, but they hadn't voiced the concerns because they were either less affected by the issues or simply more tolerant. This was a revelation. It meant that improving our product or service based on the feedback of frustrated customers would not only resolve their issues but also enhance the experience for our contented customers, who might not have spoken up.
Practical Changes and Results
This shift in perspective led to a transformation in how I approached customer service and product development at Curelink. I started prioritizing feedback that came with strong emotions because it provided the most significant insights into our customers' true feelings about our product.
I also started to train our all customer facing team leaders to approach unsatisfied customers with empathy and a genuine desire to understand their pain points. This approach not only helped in resolving immediate issues but also in building a rapport with customers.
A few number based results that I would credit to this small learning of mine:
We doubled our patient engagement in terms of the no. of daily inbound messages and our weekly live fitness class attendance. Moreover, our NPS increased from 30% to 50% within just 3 months. Huge? Damn right!
Conclusion: The Strategic Value of Customer Feedback
The journey from fearing negative feedback to leveraging it for growth has been enlightening. It has taught me that customer complaints are not just problems to be solved but are also valuable insights that can drive innovation and improvement. This approach has not only led to better products and services but also to more loyal and satisfied customers.
In conclusion, the most frustrated customers should not be viewed as a threat to business but as a valuable resource for learning and growth. By embracing their feedback, we can uncover the real issues that need attention, improve our offerings, and ultimately, build a stronger, more customer-centric business. This transformation in perspective and approach is not just beneficial but essential for sustained success as when your customers are happy, so is your bottom line.
