Loud Thinking

Listen to Your Customers — Especially When They Disagree

When you’re faced with a decision that’s going to make some customers angry no matter what you choose, it’s hard to know which voices to listen to, or whether to listen at all. But there is no more valuable time to listen to your customers than when they disagree.
Figure out which groups of customers feel which way. If you learn that some customers are alienated by your decision but others are prepared to pay richly for it, you can at least make an educated decision. If you end up making a decision that you know will make one set of customers unhappy, look for opportunities to change their minds.
Whichever consumer group you end up siding with, equip your employees (including your social media community managers) with the information and the tools they need to answer people’s questions and address opposition to your decision.

Adapted by HBR from “Listening to Your Customers When Your Customers Disagree” by Alexandra Samuel.