Square will cancel "user" and replace "customer" in future

What do you call a customer? Jack Dorsey, chief executive of Dorsey, a US mobile-payment start-up, appears to be a "user" of potential users, representing the high profile of developers. He said it was time to rethink the use of the word "user".

The ultimate goal of redefining the term "user", Doxycycline says, is to narrow the gap between product developers and consumers so that developers can focus on the immediate needs of customers and provide them with better products and services. That is why, in the future, square will cancel the term "user" and replace it with "customer" (consumer).

In the English Dictionary, the term "user" is interpreted as: noun, 1 a person who uses or operates something (especially a computer or other machine). 2 persons taking illegal drugs, such as drug users. Synonyms: Customers, consumers.

At a recent board meeting in Square, Howard Schultz, our newly appointed director, Schultz me aside and asked me a simple question: "Why do you call your customers ' users '?"

I replied, "I don't know." We've been calling it all these years anyway. ”

I haven't thought about it for a long time. The term "user" appears in the first-time shared terminal business (a time period in which multiple people share the same computing resource). After the rise of hacker culture, for those who are not too proficient in technology or innovative ability of ordinary people, they only use resources or can not produce anything (such people are often called "luser"), "user" in the technology industry is more stable and strengthened. The end result is that when internet companies describe their business models in different ways, "users" are used to refer to two distinct customer groups: one for paying customers (usually for buying ads) and the other for non paying clients (which means they are subsidized by watching advertising). In the process, a few people also pointed out that this appellation has its shortcomings, that this general term, although it is convenient, but it contains the meaning of discrimination.

Now is the time to limit and rethink the term "user". We're talking about "user-centric design", "User Benefit", "User Experience", "active user" and even "user name" and so on matters, although our intention is the user-oriented, but the actual result is that we are far away from the public daily life face real problem. This kind of abstract language is far from what we want to see in the real world, and it deviates from the desire that other people will feel the same way.

Inside the square, the word "user" is not in our lexicon and is replaced by a "customer" (customers) or more specific "buyer" and "seller". As the term "customer" has a long history, when we talk about it, we immediately think of the high counter, the service the merchant should provide, or the risk that the customer will no longer visit.

At the end of the square board meeting, I sent a letter to the company team explaining why we canceled the "user" title. This is only the beginning (the work is still unfinished).

For any peer in the tech industry, I suggest you reconsider the use of the word "user" and how you can choose a salutation that the public would like to hear. You might as well start with yourselves.

Square Team:

Today I was reminded of one thing that has been bothering me, and I take it for granted.

The entire technology industry is using the word "user" to describe customers. This may be easier, but "user" is a more passive and abstract term. No one wants to be called a "user" (as is the term "consumer"). Anyway, I do not like to be called by people, and will not regard my mother as a "user", because she is my mother. The word "user" has abstracted individual people. Some people may think that I think this is a fuss, but some of the language inside square can set some tone for the business we are engaged in. We may as well come together with the entire technology industry to rethink this issue.

The term "customer" is more active and straightforward than "user", and it directly communicates the relationship we must pass. That's what our customers think. We have two types of customers: sellers and buyers. We use one of these two words when we need to specify them.

The other thing that comes to mind is that we have become somewhat abstract and far from our customers. In short, we don't have enough time to talk about customers. So we're going to do two things:

First, I'll work with Square's technical support team to find out what's important in town square, not just the customer service ratio for each transaction. We should do the same with our information release. We must hang our customers in our hearts every day.

Secondly, all of our work is actually to provide services to customers, the cycle. That is why we have to keep our customers in the heart of every conversation, assessment, meeting and goal setting. I hope that all square employees will be able to put the interests of customers first, customers are the most important thing in our business. If there is a place within the company that does not value customer needs, please let me know and we will correct it. If I say the word "user" in the future, I will immediately impose a fine of 140 dollars.

From now on, let's not alienate the people who have given up their competitors ' products and chosen our products. We have no users, but only the customers who are trying to develop. They deserve our utmost respect and provide them with the best service. Because that's where we are.