A few years ago, I owned a Netgear router and a Dell laptop. At one point, the router and the laptop weren’t communicating. In other words, my wireless online connection was broken. First, I called Netgear, and they told me it wasn’t their fault and told me to call Dell. Then I called Dell and again, I was told it wasn’t their fault, that I should call Netgear. I eventually took the laptop and router to the IT department at my University and they fixed the problem. I can’t remember exactly what the problem was, but I do know that if either Netgear or Dell were interested in helping me, then the problem would have been fixed in ten minutes.
Guess what? Because of this incident, I no longer own a Netgear router nor do I own a Dell laptop. This isn’t meant to be a rant on the poor customer service of these two companies – there is plenty of that. It’s about the perception your customers have of your product. If a customer calls you to tell you that your product isn’t working in harmony with its environment, it’s your fault. It doesn’t matter if the facts say different. The customer sees all the other products and systems working together. Why can’t yours do the same? They don’t care about explanations or blame or data specs. They only care that things work.
If you have the ability to solve the problem, even if it isn’t your fault, it’s a losing proposition to pass it off to another. Instead of being part of the problem, allow your company to be seen as friendly, helpful, and engaging. This helps build a positive image, provides your users a great story to tell their friends, and allows you to retain a customer.
