Why Satisfy the Customer?

Should satisfying the customer be the number one goal of your business? Almost.

The first principle in the Agile Manifesto states:

“Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.”

Now, I don’t know anyone, nor have I ever heard of anyone, who spoke out against the concept of satisfying the customer. Look at any company’s mission statement and you’re likely to find a phrase in there like “the customer is our top priority” or “customer satisfaction is our number one goal.” Is there anyone who hasn’t heard the expression, “the customer is always right”?

And it’s a fine sentiment. Satisfying the customer is a good thing. But is satisfying the customer really the main goal of your business? I’d guess not. You could satisfy your customer by, for example, giving away your goods or services for free. Talk about satisfaction! (At least for your customer. You would probably not be quite as happy about it for very long.)

That’s not to say that satisfying the customer is not your top personal priority. It may very well be, as we tend to derive a lot of personal satisfaction from satisfying others.

But the main goal of a for-profit business is to make money. For many the goal is not just to make money, but to make more money. Satisfying the customer is simply an effective means to that end.

I don’t mean this in a cynical way, mind you. I run a business, and I want it to make money. No apologies. And it really helps to remember that if I want to make money, I must satisfy my customers. That direct association is a lot more meaningful to me, especially when it comes to making business decisions.

So, then, how is it that satisfying the customer helps your business make money? Through repeat business and referrals. If a customer comes back, that’s more money for you. If a customer recommends you to someone else, and you get them as a customer, that’s more money for you. If this keeps up, you stay in business.

But disappoint your customer, and your customer goes away. Even if you’re currently a sole source for a customer, as soon as another, more satisfactory provider appears, you’ve lost a customer. And even while you’ve still got that captive customer, will that customer recommend you?  Would you?

So how can early and continuous delivery of valuable software satisfy your customer? By helping your customer make money. Remember, your customer is also running a business, and the goal of that business, just like yours, is to make money. Early delivery of valuable software to your customer can help them start earning sooner. Continuous delivery of valuable software to your customer can help them adapt to a changing market.

And what makes software valuable? Simply put, software is valuable if the cost of the software is substantially less than the cost of the problem it solves. So if you can provide your customer with a software solution that costs substantially less than the problem you’re solving, your customer makes money and is likely to be satisfied. The earlier and more often you do that, the more satisfied your customer will be.

So in addition to the first principle of the Agile Manifesto, you might also consider applying a business-oriented version of the “oxygen mask rule”:

“We take care of our business first, so that we can continue to provide valuable software to our customers.”