To Facebook – An unexpected and potentially unnecessary change that is made without any consideration of how it could affect customers.
Recently fans of Facebook may have found themselves squinting at their computer screens when they visited the social media site. It turns out the Facebook unexpectedly changed its font size to a smaller one.
This is the latest in a series of changes to Facebook that have come as a surprise to its millions of users. This time it was the font size. In the past it’s been privacy settings, page layouts, and terminology changes.
The people behind Facebook are smarter than me and perhaps we should salute them for their ongoing innovation. But the company does a lousy job of communicating change to its subscribers. Frequently the only way you learn what happened is through a third party source.
Most people don’t like unexpected change. They want to know that tomorrow will be a lot like today. Surprises can make people angry, especially when they are your customers.
Facebook is so big that it can get away with these surprise changes. Threats of boycotts have amounted to barely a scratch on the 900 lb. gorilla of social media.
But things can change. For many years, America Online was known for poor customer service and disappointing internet connections. But it stayed on top. Then the market changed, competition emerged, and now the company is a shadow of its former self.
Your business may be somewhat smaller than Facebook but that doesn’t mean you should deliver unexpected surprises that impact the lives of your customers. Explaining a change, highlighting the value produced by the change, and offering clear instructions will do a lot to make sure that they continue to Like you.
