Rebuilding Trust with Critics

Turning your harshest critics into biggest advocates

Challenge The customer base had completely lost faith in the company after multiple product failures and broken promises. NPS was in negative territory with vocal detractors actively discouraging prospects. Support tickets were angry and escalations were constant. The relationship between customers and the company had become adversarial rather than collaborative.

Approach I created a customer advisory board specifically populated with our harshest critics, giving them direct input into our improvement plans. Implemented radical transparency, sending weekly updates on what we were fixing and when. Prioritized and rapidly shipped the fixes customers had been requesting for months. Gave every at-risk customer a detailed success plan with specific commitments and timelines. Made myself and the team personally available to any customer who wanted to share their frustrations.

Outcome

• NPS improved by 25 points in 90 days

• 5 of 7 advisory board members became active references

• Customer complaints reduced by 60%

• Achieved 90% renewal rate from previously at-risk segment

• Support ticket volume decreased by 40% as trust improved