Don't Forget The Customer...

A few weeks ago, one of the companies I advise made a large customer-facing announcement. It was a fundamental change, altering how customers would “experience” the service, how the company would deliver it, and how the operations would run behind the scenes.

For better (or likely for worse) we moved a little too quickly.

The announcement went out to the entire client base before I had a chance to weigh in. And while I don’t need to approve every notice or decision, this one probably warranted a gut check.

Why?

Because we forgot the customer

The rollout didn’t go well.

There weren’t many “this is awesome” replies. Just a lot of confusion, some frustration, and the worst reaction of all: silence.

If you’ve run a service business, you know what I mean. Some customers will tell you exactly what’s wrong. Others will leave. And by the time you notice, there’s not much you can do about it.

So… what exactly did we do wrong?

1. We focused on us - not them
The announcement framed everything from the company’s perspective. Why it was operationally better, how it aligned with internal goals, what it unlocked for the business. There was no clear narrative about how it made customers’ lives better. Which leads to point 2

2. We didn’t explain how it solved a real problem for the customer
There was no throughline that said, “Here’s the pain point you’ve shared in the past, and here’s how this solves it.” It was positioned as an upgrade, but an upgrade for us. The funny thing is, it DID solve problems for the customer (and we knew that) but we didn’t share it. When you do something good for a customer, CLAIM THE WIN!

3. We had no idea how customers would react
This is (for me) the most frustrating part. I’ll use a sports analogy to draw this together. Where other businesses will wildly swing at every pitch that comes their way, I typically don’t. If anything, I only swing if I’m positive, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it’ll be a homerun. In baseball, it’s hard to stack the cards in your favor like that, but in business, it isn’t. I’ve never stressed a customer announcement because typically, it was thoroughly tested leading up to the actual announcement. Moral of the story, if you feel like you’re guessing at what’s going to work - pause, test, and try again. There’s no need to guess. More on that below :)

PS - This whole issue reminded me of a Reddit post I saw recently - screenshot below.

A founder was defending a new product they’d launched into the market. Their argument? It was “technically better.” The problem? Customers didn’t want it.

Sound familiar?

Working Theory: Don’t Guess - Ask & Confirm

If you want to make fewer customer-facing mistakes, build a Customer Advisory Board.

And before you roll your eyes - no, this doesn’t mean quarterly Zoom calls with PowerPoints and surveys. And it shouldn’t look anything like that in my opinion.

I run a CAB for a business I’m involved in using a group text on my iPhone.

Every few weeks, I’ll poke the group with a quick question:

• “What’s something you’d change about our service today?”

• “Have you noticed anything annoying lately?”

• “If we changed X to Y, would that make your life easier?”

That’s it. No process. No facilitation. Just regular contact with the people who actually pay us.

You’d be shocked how much gold you get from a message like that.

The point of a CAB isn’t formality. It’s signal.

You need to hear what your customers think before you make big changes. Otherwise, your roadmap gets filled with guesses.

This Forbes article is a solid primer if you want to dig deeper:
👉 Customer Advisory Board: Do You Need One?

Bottom line: Your customers know what they want. They just don’t always tell you - unless you ask.

So ask :)

Full List Of Working Theories Resources