Do you need help managing customer expectations?
Here is an insightful video for you!
Hello, this is Adam Thompson on this lovely, blustery fall Friday. I hope you've had a great week and are winding up things to have a wonderful weekend. Earlier this week, I had a breakfast meeting with a new business partner and networking friend who’s associated with the web design industry. In this guide, I’ll let you know how I counseled him on managing customer expectations.
Client Overview
The partner in question builds websites, designs collateral, and develops logos for his customers, and he delivers excellent, elegant work. I asked him how he manages customers’ expectations in his business. He said he told his customers that he can do the work well, he can do it fast, and he can do it cheap.... but they can only pick two out of the three.
For example, if customers expect something to be done at minimal cost and fast, the work won’t likely be of best quality. Similarly, if the customer prioritizes quality and speed, the project won’t be inexpensive. The partner also pointed out that if something needs to be done well, it usually takes time.
What I Advised
The bottom line is this; expectations matter, and it is important to be honest about them. When dealing with clientele and prospects, it’s important to manage their expectations by
- Being clear about what you can and cannot do.
- Being upfront about your capabilities.
- How much more they need to pay to get service upgrades.
By having an honest conversation that covers all these points, you’ll be able to build a lasting relationship with customers.
Useful Example: Case in point– I haven’t always been great at getting home on time. Whenever I was running late, I’d always call and notify my wife about it (good) but would rarely get my ETA right (bad!). For instance, when it would take 15 or 20 minutes to reach home, I’d say 10 minutes, which led to.... issues when I finally got home. Iwas annoying my wife and making life harder on me than necessary. I began overestimating my lateness, saying I was 30 minutes out. This way, when I walked in the door 15 minutes later I actually exceeded her expectations (still late, but not as late as expected. Winning!).
Moving on, I advised the partner to apply this strategy to their web design business, telling him that’s it’s perfectly fine to be honest about what customers should expect.
More importantly, you need to live up to those expectations. For example, if you’re claiming that you’ll complete a project fast without compromising quality, you better deliver this. If you believe that the project needs more time, be honest about it.
Conclusion
If I summarize the breakfast coaching session, setting realistic expectations, being clear and upfront about them to the customers, and living up to those expectations are important to be fair with customers. That’s how expectations work! That’s how customer service works.
Have a great day, a great Friday. I Look forward to hearing from you and I’ll talk to you soon!
