Just ONE Word
My life as an product manager give me a deeper perspective on everyday situations. Here is one small example. Two of my children attend university in the UK. And my mother is eager to help them with their education expenses. Every month there is a complicated flow of funds dictated by US gift laws and access to an international bank transfer service that is reliable and cheap. For the last 4 years, this system, however many steps it takes, has worked well. Until this week.
The transfer service I use turns out to be the market leader in this space. When I first chose it, I wasn’t aware that it was. But last month, when I went to transfer funds, the system inserted one additional step. And when they upgraded the software over the weekend, this one step led to a blank screen. In frustration, I started to look for alternatives and that’s when I found out that this company is a market leader. I decided not to sweat the small stuff and wait until they worked out the kinks on their new process. After a day or so, the issue resolved itself. The question appeared when it was supposed to, I answered it and continued with my transfer.
This month, I start stepping through the process and one of the options has changed. Instead of selecting from ACH or Wire Transfer, it now says ACH or Bank Transfer. Now, every month so far, I have chosen ACH. But Bank transfer sounded even more efficient, so in a moment of wild abandonment, I select that option. And then waited for money to come out of my bank account, but hopefully faster using this new option.
Today, at 5 am I wake up and check out the world outside my bedroom. It’s a good time to check emails and Messenger for the part of my life that exists in the UK. And, frankly, I sleep badly, so I’m awake anyway. As part of my routine, I check on this bank transfer. Hmm. The app now says that it’s waiting for me to send funds. I haul myself out of bed and head downstairs so that I have more screens to work from. And then I work out that Bank transfer is nothing more or less than Wire transfer. AAARGHHH! I’ve spent 4 years avoiding expensive wire transfers – and now I’m stuck in Wire Transfer land!
I called the helpline and after enough time to wash all the dishes, pots, and pans then sweep, and mop the kitchen floor, a lovely woman with a British accent answers and starts with an apology for time it took to get to me. My response: “At least the kitchen is clean!” Within a short time, the issue is sorted and I’m back to my ACH setting. Whew!
This small issue of changing ONE word on a website reminded me of a discussion I had with an ex-product manager who transitioned to change management. The switch happened because his company’s IT team kept throwing changes into company systems with no notice. They were 100% focused on making the change and 0% focused on the impact of that change. The effect was to take out his entire team’s productivity for days. He stepped into the breach and inserted himself into the update process. He was so effective that it eventually became his full-time job for all groups across the company.
Why have I gone on and on (and on) about my experience with transferring the grand total of $2000 once a month? Because if these changes affected me, they affected thousands of other customers. And the effect is to swamp support call lines. More importantly, it undermines confidence in a market-leading product. If this was your product, chances are your product analytics were and, possibly, still are bouncing all over the place with customers dropping out, abandoning your product mid-purchase, and probably posting bad reviews. All because of back office glitches.
As product managers, it means that no matter how small a detail, no matter how hidden a departmental change, it can have a huge impact on how your product is perceived in the market. Keep your eyes peeled and all departments on board.