Your Product Isn’t the Problem. Your Customer Service Is.
Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t care how good your product is if your customer service is poor.
As a marketing lead working across multiple businesses, I’m constantly asked to recommend platforms, software, and service providers. And I’ve learned - sometimes the hard way - that the quality of your support is the real product.
It’s not just about solving problems. It’s about how you show up when things aren’t perfect.
The Demo That Never Came
Recently, I was working with a new client and remembered a platform I’d demoed months earlier. It seemed like a perfect fit. I reached out to the company again, expecting a quick reconnection. Instead, I got radio silence. Emails were answered a week later, if at all. After six weeks of chasing, I gave up.
I told my client we couldn’t possibly rely on a company that couldn’t even deliver a demo. We went elsewhere.
And here’s the kicker: their product was genuinely good. But I couldn’t risk putting my client in a position where support was optional.
The Contract I Cancelled
Another provider - one we were actively paying - routinely ignored customer queries. Tickets went unanswered. Follow-ups were brushed off.
Eventually, I pulled the plug. Not because the tool didn’t work, but because the relationship didn’t.
The Ones Who Get It Right
On the flip side, there are companies who absolutely smash it. They respond quickly, they listen, they follow up. They make you feel like your business matters.
And I will shout about them all day long. I’ll recommend them in every meeting, every Slack thread, every WhatsApp group where someone asks, “Do you know a good platform for X?”
Because good service isn’t just reactive - it’s relational.
Why It Matters
Customer service is the quiet engine behind retention.
You can spend months warming up a lead, crafting the perfect funnel, building trust through content and conversation. But one bad experience - one ignored email, one dismissive reply - and that trust evaporates.
And it’s not just the customer you lose. It’s everyone they talk to.
In my world, a poor support experience doesn’t just cost you one sale. It costs you a network.
The Loyalty Premium
As a customer, I’ll happily pay a higher price point for great service. Not because I want bells and whistles, but because I want reliability.
I want to know that if something breaks, someone will fix it. That if I have a question, someone will answer it. That I’m not just a number in a CRM.
That’s what makes me renew a contract. That’s what builds loyalty.
The Marketing Disconnect
Here’s what baffles me: the sheer effort businesses put into marketing, only to let it fall apart at the support stage.
You’ve got the ads, the funnels, the webinars, the lead magnets. You’ve got the brand voice and the social proof.
And then someone finally bites - and you ghost them.
It’s like inviting someone to dinner and forgetting to cook.
Customer service isn’t a department. It’s a philosophy.
It’s the difference between being a vendor and being a partner.
So if you’re wondering why your churn rate is high, or why referrals are low, don’t just look at your product. Look at how you treat people.
Because in the end, that’s what they remember.