We are technology Product Managers. Our Developers are using agile. We are busy fighting the momentum that would draw us into the minutia of detailed planning meetings and attempt to make Designers out of unsuspecting Product Managers.
This is not always a high reward position – the organization seems to fight us every step of the way. Our teams imply that we’re letting them down, that we should be personally involved in the planning of each sprint. Even when we KNOW that we need to get out in the market, it’s difficult to fight the tide every day.
And yet – think about the last outstanding experience you had as a customer. Aren’t they always based on the fact that the company seems to know you, to intimately understand who you are and what you need to be successful?
I use Netflix. If you watch movies and want a convenient way to receive them, you should check it out. Netflix is unique among video rental companies because they send the DVD right to my house, built on the movie queue that my son and I build.
That uniqueness is what attracted me to this service. I live about 15 minutes from the nearest video rental store. I used to run out and get a DVD, and it would take close to an hour of my time (considering drive time and the selection period). Now, I’ve always got something at home if I want to watch, and it’s delivered right to my mailbox….so all I have to do is make it to the end of the driveway!
When they send the DVD, it’s in a red envelope that’s specially designed so that you can send it back in the same envelope it came in. There’s no postage to affix, so the process is really simply.
The week before last, I was getting ready for a business trip, and the only DVD in the house was Madagascar….amusing, and certainly a favorite of my son’s – but not one I wanted to take on the road with me! I wanted to send it back and get the next one in my queue, but the red envelope had mysteriously disappeared.
This was a moment of truth for Netflix. I procrastinated for a few days, because customer service is generally bad so I figured I needed to handle this when my patience was high.
Well, I finally sat down and searched online. In about 15 seconds, I had found an entry that said I could send the DVD back to the address supplied. OK, that would involve a trip to town, AND into the post office….so I found the Netflix number.
When I found it, I was surprised immediately. On the screen, they displayed the customer service number. They also displayed a reference ID for me to use, and the approximate wait time! Awesome -- before I even called, I knew how long I should plan for.
I called the number, and entered my reference ID. The wait time online was listed as 5 minutes. It was actually only about 3 minutes before an ACTUAL voice came on the line. He apparently had access to the reference ID I had entered, because he did not ask me for my account number (which I don’t know), my social security number (which I don’t want to share), or even my name. Michael knew who I was, and immediately asked what I needed today.
I began to explain that I had misplaced the red envelope. I was prepared to be blown off, as I’ve been trained by all of the overwhelmingly bad customer service we deal with every day.
What a pleasant surprise! Michael immediately understood that I did not want to go find an envelope, figure out the right postage, and go to the post office. He added a bonus DVD to my account and immediately shipped it out. That way, I could just put 2 DVDs back in the envelope when I was done watching.
He did NOT assume that I was trying to rip him off.
He did NOT tell me to find the answer online.
He did NOT make me explain the situation in depth.
As soon as he knew my issue, he understood what I needed and gave me an easy solution.
I was attracted to Netflix for the product they offer. I am staying because they are a market-driven company, a TunedIn business. I walked away feeling like they really knew my problems and situation – I didn’t want to be on the phone a long time, I just wanted a solution.
This is the reason that Product Managers must stay in the market! No one can build, support, or service our products properly unless they really understand our target buyers and users. Product Managers need to provide that context, so that our customers end up WANTING to buy more stuff from us!
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1 comment:
Great example, Stacey. I used Netflix for a few years, and then closed my membership. A few months later, they sent me a simple message: Come back to Netflix. That isn't remarkable. What IS remarkable is that they removed all barriers to returning. They kept my movie queue. They kept my account settings. All I had to do was say "OK". Now that is great customer experience. They clearly have Product Managers who pay attention to WHOLE product.
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