Let’s
face
it
—
no
one
likes
complaints.
Early
in
my
career,
they
felt
like
landmines:
customer
grievances,
regulatory
inquiries,
even
lawsuits.
My
gut
reaction
was
to
minimize
the
damage
and
move
on.
But
then
I
had
a
realization:
complaints
are
gold.
They’re
not
just
problems
to
fix
—
they’re
insights
waiting
to
be
uncovered.
Every
complaint
is
a
direct
line
to
what
your
customers
need,
what
your
product
lacks,
or
where
your
team
could
be
stronger.
Now,
when
complaints
land
in
my
inbox,
I
lean
in
with
curiosity:
What
can
this
teach
us?
Here’s
how
I’ve
learned
to
flip
complaints
into
a
competitive
advantage
—
and
how
you
can,
too.
Listen
To
The
Bigger
Problem
A
lawsuit
over
unclear
terms
of
service.
Angry
reviews
about
a
confusing
refund
process.
These
aren’t
just
fires
to
extinguish
—
they’re
clues
to
deeper
issues.
One
lawsuit
about
subscription
renewals
pushed
me
to
rethink
how
we
wrote
our
agreements.
We
stripped
out
legalese
and
replaced
it
with
plain,
human
language.
Complaints
dropped,
customer
satisfaction
soared,
and
we
built
a
foundation
of
trust
—
all
because
we
listened.
Recurring
complaints
often
reveal
bigger,
systemic
problems.
Addressing
those
root
causes
doesn’t
just
solve
the
immediate
issue;
it
makes
your
product
better
for
everyone.
Mine
Legal
Challenges
For
Innovation
It
might
sound
strange,
but
lawsuits
are
some
of
the
best
feedback
you’ll
ever
get.
They’re
hyper-detailed
insights
into
where
your
company
might
be
missing
the
mark.
A
privacy-related
inquiry
once
led
my
team
to
revamp
our
data
practices.
What
started
as
a
reactive
fix
turned
into
a
proactive
selling
point:
a
data-handling
feature
that
wowed
customers
and
exceeded
compliance
requirements.
Don’t
shy
away
from
legal
challenges
—
treat
them
as
blueprints
for
improvement.
Design
For
When
Things
Go
Wrong
Most
teams
focus
on
the
perfect
customer
journey:
everything
works,
and
the
customer
leaves
happy.
But
complaints
shine
a
light
on
what
happens
when
things
don’t
go
as
planned.
For
example,
a
spike
in
refund-related
complaints
had
us
completely
overhaul
our
process.
By
simplifying
the
terms
and
communicating
them
more
clearly,
we
turned
a
source
of
frustration
into
a
moment
of
trust.
Focusing
on
these
“unhappy
paths”
prevents
issues
before
they
snowball
—
and
builds
loyalty
in
the
process.
Complaints
Are
Invitations
To
Build
Trust
Here’s
the
magic:
when
you
respond
to
complaints
with
real,
meaningful
changes,
customers
notice.
They
don’t
just
see
a
problem
fixed
—
they
see
a
company
that
listens.
After
customers
raised
concerns
about
our
data
privacy,
we
launched
new
features
that
gave
them
more
control.
The
result?
Not
just
compliance,
but
a
huge
boost
in
customer
confidence.
Handled
right,
complaints
aren’t
risks
—
they’re
trust-builders.
The
Takeaway
Complaints
are
gifts,
not
burdens.
They’re
a
direct
line
to
what
your
customers
want,
and
they’re
packed
with
opportunities
to
improve,
innovate,
and
differentiate
your
brand.
For
more
strategies
on
turning
challenges
into
opportunities,
check
out
my
book,
“Product
Counsel:
Advise,
Innovate,
and
Inspire.”
It’s
filled
with
actionable
insights
and
real-world
examples
to
help
you
transform
complaints
into
competitive
advantages.
How
have
you
turned
complaints
into
wins?
Let’s
swap
stories
—
I’d
love
to
hear
yours.
Olga
V.
Mack
is
a
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
a
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
authored Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat, Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security,
and Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities. She
is
working
on
three
books:
Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
(ABA
2024), The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers:
An
Analytical
Framework
to
Systematically
Advise
Your
Clients
Throughout
the
Product
Lifecycle
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024),
and
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024).
You
can
follow
Olga
on
LinkedIn
and
Twitter
@olgavmack.