"this" is easier than being in a startup - Believe me; even for a juggler everything is stable and clearly defined.

If you are startup, chances are that you are experiencing wild competition. And by that token every single user you have is precious:

Failure to manage your users’ expectations and experience will and can result in disaster.

The Internet has lowered the barrier to entry for most services to “non existent”. Event with a tiny initial budget, you can have your dream idea up an running in no time.

Whatever you are dreaming about there are at least 10 already-established services on the Internet waiting to become your competitors. Moreover, there are a dozen of similar services growing in (so called) “stealth mode” which will be entering to the marketplace by the time you are preparing for your launch for the next big thing.

Yes, the arena is harsh; ever-changing; and strongly competitive.

And I strongly believe, in such a crowded marketplace, where…

• the cost of switching is virtually none,
• and the users’ choices are virtually infinite,

“user experience” is the key competitive advantage and the main differentiator that makes users select your service instead of dozens of alternatives around.

To make it simpler: It all boils down to “relationship”. The relationship you have with your user-base has vital value and impact for the growth and profitability of your business:

The ultimate goal in user satisfaction is to have…

not happy…

not loyal…

wait for this…

“devoted” users.

Why?

Because loyalty is “logical”. “Loyal” users come back because they get their needs and problems solved, which makes sense.

“Devotion”, on the other hand, is an emotional connection to you, your brand, your company, and your services.

• “Devotion” tweets about you,
• “Devotion” blogs about you,
• “Devotion” covers your a** you when you make a mistake,
• “Devotion” shouts your name in wall graffiti.

That’s why I think “Customer Devotion” should be the ultimate goal of every business leader.

Teams and individuals that are inventive, and imaginative in creating experience with their users that lead to “devotion” will be the real winners.

And I have three questions for you:

• What are you and your team doing right now to be sure that today’s users don’t belong to your competitors tomorrow>?
• How are you managing and improving your users’ experience with you, your organization, and your service?
• (This is a tough one) Are your users “loyal”, “devoted”, or just plain bored?

Look around: Every single one of your competitors is scrambling for business. And with the vast majority of alternatives around, the competition is beyond fierce. When you lose your users to your competitors, it impacts every single individual in your enterprise.

Your best defense and your competitive differentiator is your ability to create great experience for your users.

That’s why I love being a part of grou.ps, and that’s what I believe makes grou.ps distinctive:

Yes, we have the best technical team you can find around. And that’s only one side of the coin. What we rock is our loyalty and fanatical support to our users:

We think, inspect, analyze, and provide solutions to our users’ needs and wants 24/7.

We are devoted to our users. And we experience the same devotion in return.

• We are, and will always be, enthusiastic, and “in tune” with our users.
• We are, and will always be, working to the best of our abilities to provide them a wonderful experience.
• We are, and will always be, devoted to our users.

That’s why grou.ps is a growing, profitable, and fun place to work no matter how harsh the competition is raging in the marketplace.

At least, that’s what I think; and I’d love to have your opinions.