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Subject:
From:
Kayla Block <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Kayla Block <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 2 May 2001 17:32:50 -0700
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At 10:59 AM 5/2/2001 -0700, David Heller wrote:
>This brings up an interesting question for me. What happens to the user
>who
>have stuff fail on them due to no fault of them or the site owner? I mean,
>some user tries

Something I learned from an amazing CEO that I had an opportunity to work
with some years ago: it doesn't matter whose fault it is. Customers will
perceive it as being YOUR problem and so therefore, it is your problem.

At the time, I was working for a company that made Java-based presentation
software. We had to support x number of operating systems times x number of
browser versions complete with all kinds of Java bugs that were "not our
fault." We also had customers with firewall issues that were "not our
fault." What I learned from this CEO is all of these things were our
problem and we needed to take responsibility for them whether they were our
fault or not. Customers will absolutely blame you for things like slow
bandwidth, firewall issues, and browser bugs. I believe that CEO was one of
the sharpest corporate leaders I've ever encountered before or since and my
perspective had been radically different since working for him.

See the things Geoffrey Moore has to say about "whole product" in his book
"Crossing the Chasm" for some additional thoughts on these kinds of issues.
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0066620023/o/qid=988849621/sr=8-1/ref=aps_sr_b_1_1/107-0331024-4789377)

Kayla



The next time you feel like complaining, remember: Your garbage disposal
probably eats better than thirty percent of the people in this world.

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