Revealed ? A Simple Formula For Success! Exceeding Expectations
Delight = Customer Expectation plus 1. This was the simple formula for delighting your customers that Ken Blanchard informed us of in his book "Raving Fans"
For me this is a great formula, but in itself it also raises a number of questions. For example, to deliver a plus one, to exceed something, you must know what that something is in the first place? so do you? Do you know what your customer expectations are at each moment of contact? I am constantly surprised by how many of our clients don't. They have their own personal opinions of what their customers' expectations are, they believe they know, but can they show me evidence, no! They perhaps show me a survey they conducted over 10 years ago and say "I'm sure it's the same now"!
If you want a clue as to what your customers expectations are then just listen to the words they use. Customers say, "I didn't expect to be treated in that way". People use the word expects a great deal??..when they do they are referring to their inner expectations???which they then use to measure your performance against those expectations.
On our seminars and conferences, I frequently ask the audience to close their eyes and think of landing in an airport in a foreign country they have never visited before. I ask them to look around and tell me what it is like and how they feel. People begin to tell me, they normally say they feel anxious, confused, they are concerned and worried as they have landed in a foreign country and are not certain what to do and where to go, they are defensive. What are they describing here??..They are describing emotions, they are describing their emotional expectations, they are describing how they EXPECT to feel. Therefore we tell our clients that there are two forms of expectation, physical expectations, i.e. how quickly a product will be delivered, how many rings it will take to answer the phone and emotional expectations, what people EXPECT to feel.
If you are to meet your customer expectations you need to understand both! So do you?
Do you know what your customers' physical and emotional expectations are? When they come into your store? Or when your salesman calls around? Or when you put them through 7 layers of voice menu systems? ??And if you don't, how in the hell do you expect to meet, let alone exceed, those expectations?
So what are emotional expectations? Let me give you an example. The other day I walked into a store and the woman was stacking bags behind the check out. As I stood in front of her she totally ignored me. I thought, how rude! I was hurt, I felt snubbed. My emotional expectation was that she would have at least acknowledged me; asked me to wait a moment, but no she chose to ignore me.?.?another example, last week I brought something from a store and it stopped working. I decided to take it back. I was expecting a row. I emotionally prepared myself for an argument; I had played it out in my mind; what they were going to say and how I would respond. The person behind the counter couldn't have been nicer and more apologetic. They replaced the item without question. That exceeded my emotional expectations.
My advice for this month is to find out what your customer emotional expectations are. It is only when you understand them that you and your organisation can set about planning how to achieve or exceed them. Without this understanding you are leaving it to chance!
© Beyond Philosophy 2003
This article may be reproduced with the express permission of Colin Shaw, Founding Partner of Beyond Philosophy. Contact Colin Shaw at colin.shaw@beyondphilosophy.com (use Ref#QR in subject for quick reply)
Colin Shaw is the Founding Partner of Beyond Philosophy and guru of the Customer Experience Management. He has also produced two most successful books on customer experience which are now available in market. His first book, Building Great Customer Experiences sold out within just eight weeks, is on a third reprint and available in paperback.
Colin's second book, Revolutionize Your Customer Experience released in September 2004 and considered as Bible in Customer managment business world.
Colin has enjoyed over 20 years of experience working in blue chip companies, including Mars Ltd., Rank Xerox and BT. Colin's final position was Director of Customer Experience for one of the world's largest global companies. In his career, he has held senior positions in a number of different functional areas including Sales, Marketing, Customer Service and Training.
 Google News Updated : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:08:18 GMT Ike blasts Turks and Caicos as Category 4 storm - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos (AP) - Hurricane Ike damaged most of the homes on Grand Turk island as it roared onto the Bahamas, raked Haiti's flooded cities with rain and threatened the Florida Keys on its way to Cuba as a ferocious Category 4 ... Video: Haiti suffers floods as Hurricane Ike hits Caribbean - 07 Sep 08 Eyewitness: Waiting for Ike Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:20:36 GMT No. 4 Florida Pulls Away From Miami For Win - AHN
AHN - Gainesville, FL (AHN) - Tim Tebow threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, lifting No. 4 Florida to a 26-3 win over in-state rival Miami Saturday. Marve's debut gives Miami (Fla.) reason for hope Tim Tebow leads Florida past Miami Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:39:03 GMT Land Of Big Science - Newsweek
Newsweek - The Large Hadron Collider is a symptom of America's decline in particle physics and, some fear, in science overall. By Fred Guterl, William Underhill and Sarah Garland | NEWSWEEK Please fill in the following information and we'll email this link. The Final Touches For The Large Hadron Collider's Launch When European physicists bring their monstrous supercollider to ... Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:13:15 GMT 'True Blood': Something More Than Human - PopMatters
PopMatters - by Cynthia Fuchs Bill Maher thinks vampires may be overstepping by demanding “basic civil rights just like everyone else.” He asks his guest on Real Time, a representative for the American Vampire League, “Doesn’t your race have a sordid history of ... 'Six Feet Under' creator behind HBO's 'True Blood' 'True Blood': Undead On Arrival Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:11:56 GMT Evans KOs Liddell at UFC 88 - FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - by Elias Cepeda, InsideFighting.com Rashad Evans shot himself straight to the top of the long list of challengers in the UFC's light heavyweight division with a devastating knockout win over the sport of MMA's top name and former champion, ... Liddell Loses Luster With UFC Defeat To Evans Rashad Evans knocks out Chuck Liddell Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:18:30 GMT Gates outacts Seinfeld in Back To The Future - CNET News
CNET News - Which is why Crispin Porter Bogusky, the agency responsible for the otherworldly new Microsoft TV spot featuring the clowning Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, is already happy. Microsoft's Renewed Vista Strategy Journals week in review: news from One Microsoft Way Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:01:52 GMT Health Highlights: Sept. 7 2008 - U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report - On the heels of the huge nationwide salmonella outbreak that caused more than 1400 illnesses from Mexican peppers, a regional Oregon alfalfa sprout distributor has recalled its product in Oregon and Washington state after the sprouts were linked to 13 ... Salmonellosis outbreak prompts sprout recall Salmonella outbreak traced to alfalfa sprouts Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:07:54 GMT Increase Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Looking for hi-fi computer peripherals? Finding it tough to decide... Read More Five minutes into the call I knew this client was... Read More The other day a reporter call to interview me on... Read More If you are up to your ears in a stressful... Read More Go into many businesses today and try and get service,... Read More Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that... Read More Reality is not always pretty. But here is a tad... Read More Customer service is an integral part of our job and... Read More So today was the day where I almost stopped going... Read More There is a battle in Call Centers. The teams are... Read More In a strange juxtapositioning of articles, this month's UK '... Read More Two situations, two perfectly acceptable experiences, but in one case,... Read More With all of the recent data theft in the financial... Read More I hate to sound like one of those cheesy get-rich-quick... Read More If you were a customer on the telephone with a... Read More Many years ago, I was a first year apprentice assigned... Read More Every time my firm conducts communication skills training, we know... Read More When all else fails in your company to meet the... Read More May people these days have a problem with mounting debt.... Read More Having been in business a number of years, I'm amazed... Read More Customer support is very important when you're running a business,... Read More Even the best business will receive an occasional customer complaint.... Read More "Mountains are built one pebble at a time and climbed... Read More What kind of image do you present when marketing your... Read More It should be a straightforward business scenario: making sure that... Read More
Adsense
websites
Importance of Good Customer Support in Online Computer Peripherals Shops
Dont Work with Jerks: How to Recognize a Difficult Client Early
The death of customer servie
Listen to Suggestions
Customer Service and Marketing that Works
Customer Service - A Lost Art?
Basic Levels of Consumer Integrity that Presently Permeates Society
At Your Service: The Ten Commandments of Great Customer Service!
Customer No Service - How to Lose a Loyal Customer!
Quality vs. Quantity
Listening to Customers - 5 Tips
More Customers - Watch those Little Things
The Drawback of Hacking Off a Blogger Through Weak Process Gaps and Pathetic Customer Service
How To Boost Your Bottom Line With Two Little Words
What Every Employee Should Know About Putting Positive Phrases Into Customer Service
Moments That Matter
Why Communication Skills Dont Work In Customer Service
Customer Service Consultants
Debt Elimination Scam
How to Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
4 Easy Steps to Better Online Customer Support
Handling Customer Complaints
Your Voice Print
We Sell For Less and Our Stores Are a Mess!
Proofs of Delivery and Logistics: Speeding Throughput and Avoiding Pitfalls
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
What To Do When Youve Blown It
It's bound to happen sooner or later ? yes, even... Read More
Stand Out in Business the Write Way
When was the last time you received a handwritten note... Read More
Customer Service and The Human Experience
Historically, customer service was delivered over the phone or in... Read More
Carpet Cleaning in Surrey
Like any business, carpet and upholstery cleaning requires excellent customer... Read More
Stay - Say - Pay
Would you like to have customers that stay with you... Read More
Write a Business Thank-You Note
Have you seen that thing on TV where the gal... Read More
Putting The Service Back In Customer Service
The future of customer service is here. Technology has made... Read More
Customer No Service - How to Lose a Loyal Customer!
So today was the day where I almost stopped going... Read More
Learn to Anticipate Your Customers Needs
This morning I was having breakfast with my good friend... Read More
Courting Customers - From First Date to Marriage
Landing a new client is like courting a potential spouse.... Read More
CEM Can Improve Customer Loyalty
'A 5 percent increase in customer retention increases profits by... Read More
Call Center Services - An Ever Increasing Demand
Are your company's call center services all that they could... Read More
Astonish your Customers With These Customer Service Tips
Customer service today is getting worse. Win customers over and... Read More
In the Villa of the Sick Cat -- A Lesson in Customer Care
If you're a pet owner, you know the stress of... Read More
From Disgruntled to Champion - How to Turn an Unhappy Client Into Your Best Customer
It's a salesperson's worst nightmare- the phone call that comes... Read More
The Consumer Power
While most companies talk about consumer friendliness, customer centricity, customer... Read More
Attitude of Service
When conducting a training session about customer service, I always... Read More
How To Keep Your Customers Coming Back -- Understanding Customer Retention
Why do some businesses offer points, stamps or every tenth... Read More
CRM = Customers (dont) Really Matter
CRM was supposed to bring companies closer to their clients.... Read More
Increase Sum in Your Check Account with Follow-Ups
We'll be examining what makes follow up to prospects/customers so... Read More
How To Handle Customer Billing Snafus
Q: I just discovered that for the past six months... Read More
Create Win-Win Deals With Your Competitors
In the competitive world of the 20th century, we generally... Read More
Hook Me Up With A Human
Oh, what has happened to the carbon-based organizational interface? Many... Read More
Doesnt Anybody Work Here? Nametags Impact Employee Communication
Walmart was the first business to require all its employees... Read More
How Do You Create Customer Loyalty?
Another sad fact of life is that these days, very... Read More
Customer Service |