Users are not a cover! Let’s talk about some mistakes we are prone to and are currently making with our users!

Regarding this topic, I will only talk about a few points. One is that many operations personnel nowadays generally do not spend enough time on users, have too few contacts with users, and even many people use the name of users but are actually unwilling to communicate with users deep down, etc. Next, I will talk about a few mistakes that many companies tend to overlook, purely from the user's perspective. In fact, this topic is not easy to write about, and this article does not cover all of it. There is a lot that can be expanded. I hope everyone can understand!

For operations personnel, contacting users is something they must do every day. It is not a company requirement, but you feel from the bottom of your heart that this is what you should do.

The users we meet are of all kinds, and many of them are very difficult to deal with. Even if you want to kick some of them to death, you still have to be patient, speak to them in a nice tone, and solve the problem. Personality is not a rigid requirement for being suitable for operations. Many people who are impatient, after working in operations for a few years, become "comfortable and calm". This is the basic quality of operators.

There are many users who are difficult to deal with, especially those who are already at the top or have the potential to advance to the top. Just like in real life, all outstanding people have edges and personalities. If it's easy to handle, we don't need you, right? I mentioned earlier that users with strong purchasing power and high value often appear at night. This means that if you want to become an outstanding operator, you have to spend more time than others. There is no way around it. Everyone has their own aspirations. I am not encouraging everyone to be an overtime maniac, but I have never seen anyone who can get off work on time every day and never turn on the computer when going home, and I don’t believe there will be anyone who can be excellent. I have been working for 11 years, and I usually keep my work platform open when I get home. I remember when I was in Nanning, I asked a classmate, why do you go home so punctually every day? She replied: Eat. I was speechless. But at that moment, my heart was already cold.

Truly excellent users who can create the greatest value for the community are either cultivated slowly or pulled in from external platforms. We need to spend a long time in contact and working with them. Operations personnel cannot passively contact users like customer service personnel and wait for users to come to them. If they do that, it would be a fantasy to be able to do operations well.

When it comes to user complaints, let me first talk about a typical psychology: protecting one’s own children. When many people complain about other people's products, they can speak very clearly and at length, and can say that others are useless. It is simply a pile of problems with few compliments. However, when it comes to the products they make, they say all good things and never mention the shortcomings. Some people even think: Our product is so good, but users don’t even use it. Are users stupid?

But when others retort and hit their sore spots, they will say: We have put in a lot of effort and we are suffering a lot.

Another common phenomenon is self-satisfaction. This is reflected in many aspects such as product development, marketing, operations, etc., and is actually very common.

For example, when doing operations and marketing, money is spent, work is done, the reporting materials are prepared very beautifully, the leaders are very happy, the subordinates are also very happy, and the company is full of joy. But in fact, when put in the context of the entire industry, not even a ripple is created, and users are completely unaware of it, so it is completely useless.

For example, when making a product, you make it into a product that meets the needs of a few product managers and bosses, and treat yourself as the user, and everyone ends up having a great time!

It is easy to say that you should dare to accept and face users' complaints, and let users slap you in the face, but it is actually very difficult. Sometimes work is like this, maybe what we work hard to make is garbage in the eyes of users. In fact, in many companies, the true public opinion is invisible to the company's management. Perhaps they do not realize the seriousness of the problem. Perhaps the middle-level managers only report good news and not bad news, and it is useless for the grassroots to speak out. In any case, the bottom line is that the company does not have a mechanism to allow the true voice of users to reach the sky. There are countless companies that do not do well in this area. Among the companies that do well, 360 is the best one I have worked for. They have a very complete and standardized process.

If you say that establishing a process is too complicated and the cycle is too long, then there is a very simple way that I think everyone can use. For many of our most core user groups (which are a group of top users with the highest platform loyalty), I prefer to include some core personnel of the company (don't worry, users will definitely look for them to communicate) (not all groups should be included), such as bosses, relevant VPs and directors, so that they can see what users are saying, what they are complaining about, what they need and what they care about, so that you know that some of the functions you developed are rubbish, they are just something you imagined, and users don't care at all.

Only when you realize the importance of the problem from the bottom of your heart will you have the courage to accept this reality and work harder to improve your products and services, so that you can make a product that users truly like. Otherwise, if you keep on being self-satisfied, when the company goes bankrupt one day, you won't even know why you did it.

After all, this topic is actually about a mentality issue, not just an individual issue, but also a company's mentality issue. Sometimes, we can be open and honest with users. If we are wrong, we are wrong. We can just admit it openly. Users will understand, and it may even have unexpected results.

It is better to be naked than to wear a veil!