Launching a new service, especially a cloud-based/SaaS service, is always a challenge. So many moving parts, or lines of code, or behaviors of employees to align and manage. When things don’t go just right — witness this week’s launch of online game Diablo III — the bad press can overshadow what may be a fine offering. For fans of Diablo, one of many error messages was the all-too-frequent Error 37.
What can you do to mitigate the negatives of your potential Error 37?
Plan for it: Understand pre-launch what could go wrong and decide how you will deal with it. Communicate early and often.
Apologize: Don’t take customer loyalty for granted. An apology or explanation will help calm the storm but is not the end-game.
Think long-term: But not in the sense of “we’ll fix these things and in 6 months no one will remember.” While much of that may be true, in today’s socially networked economy it does not pay to leave a trail of anger (among the least of which are poor reviews)
Give customers something: Is there an opportunity to give customers something for the pain they’ve experienced? Think creatively. What freebie might entice customers to use your service more in future? Be careful not to make the freebie seem too self-serving.
Invite involvement: Don’t just read the bad reviews, look for opportunities to engage customers and develop solutions.
Branding B2B 