4 Lessons From An Entrepreneur

This week I had a call with a very large customer and a very interesting figure. The call had something to do with OneDrive for Business. I researched the customer issues, but beyond the technical issues I thought to myself how do I really grow to empathize with the customer? Its one thing to fix their problems but its another is to assure them that you’ve “got their back” Its a question we as support engineers need to ask every so often because we tend to analyze, fix and move on. Sometimes that isn’t enough. So I decided to reach out to an entrepreneur whom I felt comfortable with exploring this topic. Here is what we came up with:

Do not interrupt the customer’s complaints
The customer is complaining for a reason that affects their business. Period! Time is money and that is forefront in the customer’s mind. It has nothing to do with you peronally so throw that thought away. Listen intently, take notes and finally mirror what you just heard so that they know you were listening.

Accept, and apologize if necessary, for the product’s limitations
More often then not, I do see where the customer is coming from although sometimes what they want is just not possible today due to technical limitations or because the feature they want is just not available yet. This is where we as the “first-line-of-defense” need to own up. We need to acknowledge that yes, they have come upon a limitation and now we must work to minimize that gap as soon as possible. 

Seek to workout a timeline to address/fix the issue
This is where the planning begins. You have acknowledged the shortcomings now you must work on mapping out next steps. Whether the next steps are researching your findings, testing out a possible fix, discussions with the product group, give the customer an idea of this plan. Do NOT set it in stone, and buffer the timing because this is most always a team effort. A team must work together not separately. 

Do not take the customer’s rudeness personal
I alluded to this one earlier but their complaints and possible rudeness have nothing to do with you. As the entrepreneur I conversed with said, her customers are buying her products, therefore, she must take care of them. And any issue that takes time away from her servicing her customers is money lost. 

Extra tip
Chill, have a glass of wine. Because after following these tips, you’ll have time to do so. I promise.