Expectations – The Key to Customer Satisfaction

Managing Expectations – It’s an art … not a science

In the 1982 Academy Award winning film Gandhi there is one scene that will tell you everything you ever need to know about managing expectations. The year is 1917 and Gandhi is visiting remote villages in India where famine and poverty are the rule not the exception. When villagers ask … no beg… Gandhi for help he responds “We shall do what we can do.” By using ‘We’ and not ‘I’, he clearly stated that he alone could not do anything, but that everyone working together would be the action to take for creating solutions. He commits to do something, however sets expectations appropriately and allows for the realism of the situation to unfold. The problem can’t be fixed overnight; there are no guarantees. He was truthful and in turn they became his followers.

In a business sense, how many times has an executive been in a seemingly dire situation with a customer? If you promise too much, the disappointment when delivery does not meet those set expectations causes the customer to lose all faith in the company/executive/team. Your trust is completely destroyed. On the other hand, if you promise too little, there is no motivation to really fix the underlying issues. Leaders must issue realistic objectives that engage all interested parties and not make promises which they cannot deliver, or set the bar so high it is unachievable. It is a delicate balance between the two extremes – art not science.

Unrealistic Expectations - The number one ingredient in failure

When that seemingly dire situation arises during project delivery, it is imperative the vendor company leadership be committed to understanding all the issues swirling about and not the most critical of the day. A conversation with a leading question to the customer of ‘what do you want’ can quickly become the unavoidable black hole of request after request to rectify every sin ever committed by anyone at the vendor company. Quickly sunk is the project team that has leadership trying to respond to the literal wish-list of the client. It sets up the team, client, product and both companies to fail miserably.

Instead, executives must listen to all aspects of the current situation and discern the true interest of the client and the company. Once the common needs are defined, a transcendent plan can be constructed to address those needs, eliminating the distractions of petty items and quickly focusing the team on the greater good. Uniting the client team and the delivery team with the common dominator gives hope and revitalized commitment to the success of the project.

Setting Expectations – The primary key to success

Expectations go both ways. Clients expect delivery of a defined scope of work, within a predetermined budget and within a specified time frame. Vendors expect once that delivery is completed the client will become a promoter for the products and services. So if both the client and the vendor have specific expectations of the process, then why are only the client’s expectations defined and refined up front? The customer upfront should be made aware of what is expected of them after successful completion of the scope of work. In other words, set the expectation that the customer will be a PROMOTER of the services and products after successful completion of delivery.

During delivery, this becomes the temperature check per say for how well the customer’s expectations are being met and how well that customer is going to meet the vendor’s expectations. It is a key indicator of progress vs. successful progress of the project and corrective action can begin the instance it is understood that expectations, on either side, are not being met. Open, honest, clear and concise communication of expectations regularly during delivery will promote an atmosphere of commitment to success.

All in all, expectations are tricky to navigate. If set too high, failure is assured. If set too low, it all becomes a non-event with little or no commitment from those participating. To plot a course for success, set expectations appropriately relying on pragmatism as a guide.