Your Problem is My Problem

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the logical process of companies is to try to understand the market and its potential consumers, and based on what they find out and/or feel, they offer a product or service that is intended to satisfy their customers’ needs.

“Observe/understand market – create products or services – offer these products – satisfy customers’ needs, desires” more or less represents this process.

But what happens at the end of this line is that customers’ needs change, or often enough, companies don’t get it quite right. Or even if they do get it right, there will be customers who will not have their needs met by the products/services offered. It’s just impossible to offer everything that all customers want, it doesn’t matter how hard you try. In these cases, directly or not, the companies tell these customers that they can’t offer what they’re looking for. Simple, that’s life, sorry, maybe next time.

I try to think from a slightly different perspective. Try, because despite its simplicity, it’s something incredibly difficult to implement.

I try to think that a person that gets in touch with my company has a problem, and this person is calling us because he/she thinks that we might be able to solve the problem. We offer services, and we have a good degree of flexibility to adapt ourselves to meet what is required by our clients. Of course, there are many occasions in which we simply can’t offer enough.

But before offering a group of solutions, I like to think that it’s better to offer something like this: “We’ll do what we can to solve your problem”. “Is there any difference?”, you might ask. I say there is a huge one. Today, for example, I woman called looking for English classes for her 4-year-old daughter. We focus on business English for adults, no quite our area to solve this woman’s problem. According to the perspective I’ve just mentioned, we should have asked more about her needs, having promptly offered the name and phone number of a school that could offer the kind of classes she was looking for, even better if next to her house, and with good credentials. We didn’t. That’s why I say we try.

What happens is that this supposed school for children is also our competitor, because they also offer classes for adults. Should we not mention it then? I believe we should. I believe that we should try our best to help whoever gets in touch with us, even if it includes recommending our competitors.

I’m not being naïve in thinking that we might not lose customers. I am perfectly aware that we will. However, I believe that the attitude of solving problems reflects in many different areas within the company, and it becomes a constant reminder that we should focus on the customer first.

I’m absolutely certain I’m not being innovative here, but I’m quite sure that this idea is as obvious as it is easily forgettable.