Things people love

Most companies are not like this. Our competitors are not like this. But when you look at the work Silktide does, we excel in making and doing things that people care about:

This doesn’t just apply to things we build. We do a lot of things, and virtually all of it can be held to this standard – “sales we love”, “support we love”, “debt collection we love” (okay maybe not that one).

At the core of Silktide, we have always been a company that cares unreasonably about the work we produce, and our continued success depends upon defending that standard.

Aim higher

The world has enough mediocrity, especially in the industries we work in.

For example, teaching people accessibility is something almost no-one normally cares about. But at Silktide we dared to raise the standards and make ours approachable, compelling, and even delightful.

Most companies settle for “acceptable.” But acceptable is not (ahem) acceptable for us. 
We can always aim higher.

Ask yourself:

• Would someone rave about this to a friend?
• Would I love this if I were the audience?*

Surprise and delight

What makes someone say “wow”? It’s often whatever they didn’t expect.

Whether it’s a feature that feels like magic or a support interaction that goes above and beyond, loved things exceed expectations.

One way Silktide does this a lot, is to add personality. It’s so rare for a company to have any personality at all, that a willingness to be clear, friendly, and even fun is shockingly appreciated. It’s not always warranted, but when it works, it literally makes people love us.

Ask yourself:

• What’s the little extra we can add to make this unforgettable?
• Can we add personality to make this more compelling?

We are so not done

We do not yet meet our own standard. And we may never do so, completely.

Things that people love rarely start off perfect. They’re shaped by feedback, challenge, a lot of time, and a lot of resilience.

The rationalist justification for this feel-good fluff

“The Silktide Standard” isn’t just about vibes; it’s core to our commercial strategy:

• Loved things build loyalty: When customers love what you do, they stick around.
• Loved things create advocates: Customers who love us talk, and bring more customers.
• Loved things are hard to copy: Our strategy suits our nature and is alien to our competitors, who will struggle to replicate it, if they even care to try.
• Loved things make us more productive: It’s easier to work on things you actually care about.

When people talk about Silktide, we want them to say: “They make things I love.” That’s our brand, that’s the simplest purest expression of what we’re about. And it’s a bar we’ll keep raising together.