How We Won Back a Customer with Trust and Transparency

Throughout my consulting engagements, I have learned that trust and transparency are the most important values for building successful relationships with customers and delivering high-quality products.

One of the most memorable projects I worked on was for a large Fortune 500 company spread over 100 countries that wanted to revamp its websites and exchange portfolios through digital transformation. They also want to include on their tenant a recent M&A and a deadline of six months. They contacted us after seeing our portfolio and hearing positive feedback from our previous clients.

We had an initial meeting with them to understand their requirements, expectations, and vision. We proposed a solution that would meet their needs and exceed their expectations. We explained how we would use the latest technologies, best practices, and agile methodologies to deliver a user-friendly, secure, and scalable platform. We also provided a detailed breakdown of the costs, timeline, and deliverables.

The customer was impressed by our proposal and agreed to work with us. We almost signed a contract. Everything was going smoothly until one day, the customer called me and said they wanted to change the terms of the contract. They said they had received a better offer from one of our competitors, who promised to do the same project for half the price and in half the time. They asked us to match their offer or they would cancel the contract.

I was shocked and disappointed by their request. I knew it was impossible to do the project with such a low budget and such a short deadline without compromising the quality and scope. I tried to explain to them the risks and consequences of cutting corners and rushing the development process. I told them that our competitor was making unrealistic and unethical promises that they could not keep. I reminded them of the value and benefits of our solution and the trust and transparency we had established with them.

However, they did not listen to me. They said they were only interested in the price and the time. They said they had already made up their mind and they didn’t want to proceed with the contract with us and go with our competitor.

I was frustrated knowing what would be the consequences, but I had no choice but to accept their decision. I told them that we would respect their choice. . I felt sad for the customer, but I also felt proud and confident of our work and the methodology that we derived over the years from our experiences. I knew we had done our best and followed our values of trust and transparency.

A few months later, I received a call from the same customer. They sounded desperate and apologetic. They told me that they had made a huge mistake by choosing our competitor. They said that the project was a disaster and that they had wasted their time and money. They said that the competitor had delivered a poor-quality product that was full of bugs, security issues, and performance problems. They said that the product did not meet their requirements or expectations and that it had damaged their reputation and business. They said that they had tried to contact the competitor to fix the issues, but the results were very dissatisfactory. They asked me if we could help them salvage the project and fix the mess. They said they were willing to pay us the original price and give us the original time. They said they trusted us and appreciated our transparency. They said they realized that we were the best option for them and that they regretted their decision.

I was surprised and amused by their call. I felt tempted to reject their request But I also felt compassionate and professional.I told them that we would be happy to work with them again, but we would have to start from scratch and follow our process and standards.

We restarted the project and delivered a high-quality product that met their needs and exceeded their expectations. They were very happy and satisfied with the outcome. They apologized for their mistake and praised our work. They also became our strong reference and helped us win many new businesses. They always talked about our trust and transparency and how they made a difference in their success.

In this current era when we have so many companies that have similar proposals for the solution I believe trust and transparency are the two unique value differentiator skills that not only set you apart but always keep you in the customer's heart which may result in a multifold business win.

I would like to thank Dr. Asit K Barma with whom I learned many #leadership principles in the last two decades who is an excellent visionary #leader

#TrustAndTransparencyStory #SoftwareDevelopmentSuccess #CustomerRelationshipsMatter #HowWeWonBackACustomer #LessonsInLeadership