We lost 4 clients last month, and that's okay...

As part of our decision to open-source our marketing and journey to 500 clients, we promised to be open about absolutely everything. 

It feels unusual to write about customers we've lost, and it's a little scary to put it out in the open but here it goes. 

COVID-19 has affected businesses in many different ways, but the most common is a significant decrease in revenue which leads to some tough decisions. Across LinkedIn we're seeing job losses, which is why for the companies we lost this week, I'm very happy they chose to cut technology costs rather than people. 

While Paiger delivers time-saving & efficiencies, for struggling businesses that are likely eating into cash reserves, technology is often one of the first to be cut. It's also a great time to invest in marketing and our new customers reflect that - we've been very fortunate to continue to grow during this time.

From our conversations with our departing clients this week, this is the case, COVID has hit them hard.

 I've learned over the years not to stress over the things you cannot control, it'll just drive you insane. We cannot control our customer's revenue during a global pandemic - I really wish we could!

So this month, we have churned 4 customers, but here is why it's okay. Every single customer that cancelled did so with regret. 

 They weren't cancelling because Paiger didn't deliver or they had a bad user experience. 

 This means there is a very good chance that they will be customers again in the future and shows that we are delivering on our promises and the high levels we've set internally for customer happiness are there - when I cancel Virgin Media to move my broadband to Sky, I don't think I've ever started the email with an apology.

 People don't apologise to brands, so why are people apologising to Paiger?

 I believe it's a result of our marketing. People know who is behind the logo. They know we have families (and the struggles of working with children in lockdown!). 

 One of my goals is to ensure Paiger is personable, a product that brings joy and we have strong relationships with our customers. If you've been following our journey from the beginning you'll know we've prioritised referrals as the best form of inbound leads, recognising that the best form of marketing is worth of mouth.

 I have no doubt that while the customers we've lost won't be contributing to us financially for a little while, they'll be back and most importantly, they'll recommend us to their friends along the way.