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Allow me to make strong endorcement for Geoff's observation that the
engineer's response was appropriate and should be encouraged. He went
beyond the basics in supporting your customer. By taking an
affirmative approach with him, you will also encourage him to work
with you should this sort of situation arise again.
I would suggest a slightly different approach than Geoff, however, in
the customer contact; something along the lines of:
"We appreciate your feedback, as we do from all our customers. Your
inquiry has resulted in this addition to our documentation so that we
can help any other customers who might have the same question. We are
enclosing it as a convenient supplement in case you should need to
refer to it again in future. Thank you for this opportunity to be of
service."
That might finesse any question regarding the instructions sent
earlier and demonstrate an unusual level of response to customer
problems. This will further solidify that customer's regard for your
firm and its product.
David
On 7/21/05, Geoff Hart <geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com> wrote:
>
> There probably should be no consequences. Provided the instructions
> were correct, no harm was done; on the contrary, this kind of instant
> responsiveness is what makes many people willing to trust a startup
> rather than sticking with bigger, slower companies like Microsoft. That
> trust is what lets the startup survive long enough to become fat and
> complacent.
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