3.2 359 Be good at building ships [?][!]

Today’s podcast

Worksheet

SETH GODIN To be heard

Big company customer service has evolved to be pointless, a useless shadow of its former self.

Big companies can’t take responsibility, only humans can. And when we depersonalize our interactions and work to minimize the time spent and use a refund or policy to ‘make it right’, we forget what service is usually for. It’s simply cheaper to offer a refund and move on (or to fill out a form and ignore the complaint altogether).

The customer who cares enough to complain (about a doctor, a product, a service or even an expectation) is rarely seeking a refund. A refund doesn’t make things right.

We want to be heard, understood and responded to. And we’d like the organization to learn something in exchange.

Not only is this cheaper than a refund, it makes you better.

September 23, 2025