Thursday, September 15,
2016
When you're dealing
with customers, silence is incriminating. Whether there is any validity to the
concern or not is another issue altogether. The problem is that people think
that there is a problem, and it only fans the fire.
Every company hits
their fair share of snags along the path to success, and my company BodeTreeis
no different. Over the years, we've run into technical challenges and limitations
that have delayed our rollout with various clients. However, throughout those
challenges we committed to over-communicating. In sharing the reality of our
situation honestly and transparently, we managed to control the narrative.
Silence is not an
option
Open customer
communication is easy. Just tell them the good, the bad, and the ugly. Silence
is not an option for businesses, especially when operations hit a snag.
Lack of communication
when things go awry is one path to self-inflicted customer dissatisfaction.
Instead, one CEO suggests leveraging honesty to capitalise on the
(surprisingly) forgiving nature of customers. Silence is simply not an option
for organisations, regardless of whether their customers are backers on a crowdfunding
platform, typical consumers, or large organisations.
Trust is the single
most important aspect of the customer/business relationship, and it cannot take
hold and grow without constant communication. Customers want to hear the good,
the bad, and the ugly, no matter what. Whereas silence begets distrust and
suspicion, openness builds trust.
Customers can be
forgiving
Most consumers want to
be forgiving. It sounds strange, but my experience has been such that if
treated with honesty and respect, customers will forgive the most damaging of
missteps.
The idea that business
isn't personal is deeply flawed. Every transaction, whether it's on a
crowdfunding platform of between large organisations, is deeply personal.
When organisations
admit their missteps and ask for forgiveness, most people are more than happy
to grant it.
However, when
businesses get defensive, obfuscate the truth, or simply go silent, any trace
of goodwill vanishes. In business, just as in life, honesty is truly the best
policy.
Entrepreneursof all
shapes and sizes should take note and commit to transparency with their
customers. If they do, they'll find that much can and will be forgiven. If they
fail to do so, however, customers can and will hold a grudge.
*Myers is the
co-founder and CEO ofBodeTreeand author of Enlightened Entrepreneurship
SOURCE: VANGUARD