Thursday 26 October 2017

Are We Part of the Problem?

Where your business is part of a group of one or more service providers and something goes wrong, who takes accountability for finding out the cause?  Most simply check their area & say it’s “not my problem”.  Case closed…

In the age of the internet, services or products are now being delivered by more than one provider as part of a team.  A typical example is apps for smartphones which we can download from an “App Store”.  These are usually developed by one organisation but sold via another’s “App Store”.  In my case, I use an Apple smartphone, so I download from Apple’s iTunes Store. 

What we start to find is that, in the case of Apple, they make the product available under their store (and name), but advise buyers that any problems should be resolved with developers.  On more than one occasion, I’ve had the developer respond that it’s an “Apple Problem” and vice-versa.  Perhaps other readers have had similar experiences with Apple or other vendors.

In the end, it’s the CUSTOMER who has to resolve things with everyone blaming everyone else.  Imagine how that makes them feel about your site/store/product and how much you value their business.

If I sell something associated with my name, I’m partly responsible if that product goes wrong.  No matter what the clever lawyers say, a customer has bought a product or service in good faith (note the stress here) through me and no amount of law will detract from the fact that the customer, whose purchase price pays my (and my lawyer’s) salary associates my brand name with that product.  If I see a lot of complaints about a supplier’s product/service tainting my site, I start thinking about whether I want my brand and reputation associated with that supplier.

Equally, if my product doesn’t work because of some tricky new change to the store, it’s partly my responsibility to talk to the store owner to fix the problem.  

If it goes wrong, the customer’s only interest is in getting it fixed as quickly as possible.  “Blame games” or “buck passing” may make the developer/store owner feel better, but will the customer come back to them for more (unless they're a monopoly provider)? 

Thanks to the “depersonalisation” that the internet provides, we’re growing up with a generation unaccustomed to dealing with “real people”.  What they see is simply a name and email address/customer number on a screen.  They're unlikely to meet them face-to-face.  Some internet stores don't even provide telephone numbers so that dissatisfied customers can't even call to complain.  I’ve certainly seen complaints about this in online reviews.

We mustn’t forget that, just as the internet gives us the ability to be “faceless” whilst we sell, it also gives customers a louder voice that reaches more potential buyers.

The solution?  In one word: accountability – if it’s OUR site, WE are partly responsible.  Those who fail to grasp this will be the first to find that their business disappears.  Just as the internet provides “anonymity”, so it provides the ability for dissatisfied consumers to reach thousands of people and impact our reputation.  Those who survive will be the ones who understand and act on this.



I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world  running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.

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