Retention…pretty self explanatory. It’s people who use your product and come back and do it all over again. These are the people who you should care the most about. It’s more efficient to reactivate a dormant user than to go out and spend a bunch of money to activate a new one. If you find yourself throwing money at ads just to have users engage with your product once and never come back, you’ve got a problem. You likely don’t have product/market fit. How can you avoid this? If you’ve got a good idea, it can be pretty simple, but it takes discipline. If you’re not careful you can get caught up in vanity metrics. “Oh, we got 10,000 new users this month!” Great, how many of those users used the product, came back and did it again? If you don’t know or don’t want to say, keep reading.

 Value: Why did you build your product? At Breather we aim to provide our users with a safe, quiet and calm place to get productive, free of distraction. These places are easily accessed and controlled via a mobile app. It’s a simple concept. We live in a world full of noisy coffee shops and co-working spaces where the dude next to you can’t wait to tell you about his new startup that provides on-demand birthday cakes. We eliminate the need for expensive overhead and simplify people’s lives. Ask yourself, what problem are you solving and is your way the best way to solve it?

Consistency: Why is that Chipotle burrito so damn good, and why do you keep ordering them? Obviously they’re tasty but the reason you re-order is consistency. You know what to expect. Every successful major brand delivers consistency. At Breather we aim to deliver consistency from booking to unlocking the door, and most importantly in our rooms. This is the Breather experience. All our spaces are designed on a recognizable spectrum; whether you use our service in New York, San Francisco or Boston. We are trustworthy and reliable; just like that tasty Chipotle burrito.

What happens when we drop the ball? Let’s face it, no one’s perfect. We make mistakes and people can be forgiving, if the situation is handled properly! This is where our amazing customer service team comes in.

Customer Service: Amazing CS reps are a must. There is no exception here. CS reps are on the front line. They will talk to users more than anyone else in the company, and likely speak with users who are frustrated. Remember, at the end of the day we’re all people, we have feelings and can get upset. Your reps should be well trained to know all facets of the product, they should be autonomous and have the means to fix problems. You’d be surprise how forgiving people can be when you take responsibility for your mistake and fix them! Once a problem is resolved, your reps should circle back with product to ensure common issues are addressed.

If you don’t…you probably won’t be around too long.