Stripe CEO Patrick Collison has revealed a brilliant hack to help keep the company and it’s leadership in tune with customers’ needs.
In a post on X, Collison says that a customer joins for the first 30 minutes of their management meetings every other week, sparking new ideas and giving leadership a chance to hear firsthand what customers need.
In a response post to a user commenting that the meetings “probably helps the team viscerally feel customer pain more,” Collison responded: “Absolutely.”
Collison’s Hack Goes Beyond Andy Jassy’s Recent Take
In his recent letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy placed a similar emphasis on the customer experience, rather than the technology the company develops.
First, whatever we’re contemplating building has to be focused on solving a real customer problem or meaningfully improving a customer experience. Companies can get off track prioritizing technology because they’re excited about the technology. Great startups are on a mission to change what’s possible for customers.
While Jassy’s statement highlights a broad organizational goal, Collison has managed to find a way to implement that concept in a meaningful and productive manner. Regularly including customers in a management meeting helps reduce the sense of separation between customer and provider, and is a tremendous way to build brand loyalty by showing the customer that their feedback really matters.
All told, Collison’s hack is a master class in how to put customers first.