Article Underscores Importance of Customer Perception

In an article entitled The Value of User Perception in Intranet Development, Paul Chin discusses the importance of monitoring and managing customers' perception. While this article is written specifically in the context of intranet development, it offers lessons for all of us.

Here is one worthwhile highlight from the article:

"All the carefully planned hype and marketing surrounding a system can be undone by a steady stream of negative feedback from within the user community itself -- justified or not. Sometimes it's even enough for a single, well-respected intranet expert to say 'this stinks' to unravel months of promotion and spin. You can never underestimate the power of one voice to sway user opinion."