Ignore the critic, embrace the criticism

We all have detractors. The best products don’t work for everyone. And even companies with the best customer service deal regularly with angry customers.

Too often, however, our feelings about the person complaining get in the way of how seriously we should take their complaint.

Put another way: ignore the critic, embrace the criticism.

Even irrational complaints are typically rooted in something real, something that’s facing and frustrating many more customers who haven’t spoken up. If you take the easy path, dismissing both the critic and the criticism, you’re likely passing up an opportunity to address a very real customer issue, something that could be keeping dozens, even hundreds of other customers from being successful and completely satisfied with your product or service.

Critics are not fun to listen to. They can be downright rude. Sometimes they get personal.

But they almost always have a point.

Ignore the critic, embrace the criticism.