A service I use, Roll20, recently shit on its customers. To be more specific, one of the founders did this. A customer got banned, complained, and Nolan handled that complaint with a series of messages that got more and more aggressive. The customer then deleted his Roll20 account, wrote a post on the /r/dnd subreddit , and unleashed a wave of condemnation and unsubscribing that Roll20 had never seen before.

And it’s clear to me from the way this was handled that Nolan cares about the product he helps make and about how that product reflects on him, but that he views his customers (or this one at least) as something that he needs to tolerate to keep doing his work.

Seth Godin, a marketing professional I deeply respect, teaches that the only irreplaceable thing a company has is its relationship with the customers. You can outsource, automate or buy anything, but thinking about other humans, considering their desires, wellbeing, and future—this is what makes and breaks businesses in the 21st century.

It also makes or breaks people. You can build your life around caring for other people and finding those who will care about you, and it will be a beautiful, happy life.

Yet it’s just strange to me when people become enraged that a company doesn’t show them basic respect and treats them as a source of money, feedback, publicity—things that matter to a legal entity. Doesn’t everyone believe that most businesses only pretend like they care? Or is it just me?

On the other hand, if you want to be the best and the most demanded person in your field, or if you want a business, bring some emotional investment with you. Invest your heart into the product, the colleagues, the customers. In this jaded age, heart is magic.

P.S. And I won’t be dropping Roll20, because the way they sometimes treat customers hasn’t collided with my own interests yet. I hope they change their practices though, because no matter how much better your product is, without customer relations, you are dead.