If you cannot do this small thing properly how do you expect me to believe you can do the big things right?
When you’re creating something out of nothing the small details are not exactly the first things in your mind. That’s fine, and how it should be.
But when you’re selling your solution to customers everything counts. People are not logical nor they care about scales or proportions. What is small for you might be the make it or break it for them.
When you don’t have many data points you draw disproportional conclusions from the few you have. We are also very socially attuned. We observe and take clues from the smallest of hints.
How tidy is the environment? What’s the attitude of the people? How friendly and supportive is the service? Are they taking me seriously?
The same applies to digital services. If the user experience is sending micro-signals that are not in line with the big message they start to add up. When the accumulated balance is large enough to tip the scales varies between customers.
The problem is that you tend to leave with the most insensitive ones, and they may not be your ideal customer group. The rest may have never even become your customers in the first place. They dropped out in the marketing and sales experience.
Broken windows theory states that you should take seriously minor crimes and police them properly (e.g. zero-tolerance) because they send visible signs of crime and civil disorder that can escalate later if not handled swiftly.
Zero-tolerance for bad user experience should be applied more rigorously if you care about your brand and long-term reputation. Customers take offence on the smallest of things but the trouble is that they seldom tell you about them. Instead, they stop doing business with you or do it with contempt and complain to others. This is a great disservice for you in two ways.
First, you cannot fix something you’re not aware of. Secondly, they are actively marketing that you’re having bad service and others should not patronise your offerings.
Tiny things are about feelings. Big things are about major errors. The latter are often taken care of because of their magnitude. But the tiny things done the right way will make your business become the amazing and awesome customer experience worth sharing with others.
If you can make your customers feel good that’s the closest to the business heaven you can get.
