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Writer's pictureDeepankar Dey (aka Deep)

Breaking deadlock w/ Empathy





When I received a customer complaint about a major product enhancement request, it was clear that the situation was significant. The customer, a prominent figure in our industry, was influential and vocal in public forums. They were even scheduled to speak at a major conference about our product. This was further compounded by the fact that we were in the middle of a significant release that would affect our revenue.


Upon contacting the customer to understand the request's details, business impacts, and urgency, I quickly realized the value of their insights. While the lack of the feature would require manual work by business personas, it wouldn't significantly impact their revenue. This understanding was crucial in recognizing the issue as a usability concern and suggesting a simple workaround the customer's IT team could implement using the product's extension capability.


Clear and open communication was key in this process. I offered to speak to their business team to acknowledge the gap and propose a short-term solution. With the support of the customer's IT team, I proposed a temporary solution to the business team, making it clear that it was not the final solution but would provide immediate relief. I explained why we couldn't fulfill the feature request immediately and mentioned their involvement in early testing when building the feature. This collaborative approach, underpinned by clear communication, resulted in them agreeing to our proposal, de-escalating the situation. We eventually included the feature in a subsequent release. However, what's significant is that we preserved our current release and revenue stream while keeping the customer happy.


I must confess that the initial tense atmosphere with the customer's IT team thawed as they realized our genuine intent to assist. This experience imparted a couple of invaluable lessons:


1. A good product manager needs to learn to say "No." Of course, each "No" should be backed by solid reasoning. Sometimes, you may have to follow up your "No" with a prudent solution. It may not be the best solution, but it's the best solution for the moment.


2. It's crucial to view customers as more than just inscrutable entities. They, too, have employees like us with whom we can build relationships. Empathy is not just a soft skill, it's a vital tool in these interactions. As empathy grows, stubbornness diminishes, and a collaborative spirit emerges. The importance of a trust-based relationship cannot be overstated when dealing with a customer—in fact, with anyone!


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