Customer Service Information |
|
We Got It Wrong: Never Under Promise & Over Deliver
You know how it is, you believe something for so long, everyone agrees with you, all the books tell you it's true and then suddenly you have a blinding revelation - we've all been duped! You know like my gorilla mates were? (If you're not sure about my gorilla mates then you really need to read the book - we've got a great offer on at the moment!) And you feel such a chump - how did I ever fall for that - the logic just isn't there - I must have been a fool. Let me explain. "Under Promise & Over Deliver" You know the old saying "Under Promise & Over Deliver"? - well, here's the idea behind it. Buyers these days are ever more ready to complain when something isn't to their liking (yes, even in the UK!) Customers are prepared to walk if you don't deliver when you said you would. Clients are mobile and promiscuous and will change supplier if they can get better service. So in order to meet these demands, for the last 20 years or so, we've all been applying the mantra "Under Promise & Over Deliver" - for example, tell them the job that'll take 10 days will take 12 and then wow them when you deliver ahead of schedule. Now, in theory this sounds great - your client can't fail to be impressed at your over delivery! Or can they? Big Mistake Now, think about it for a little longer. Mr client comes along and you promise to deliver the project by 2pm on Tuesday, even though you know you can get it finished by Friday. Hey, that gives you the weekend to reflect, Monday morning to add the polish and you can deliver it on Monday afternoon. A great under-promised and over-delivered job! But what actually happens? The client is delighted - you delivered a day early. But then Mr Client has a few fleeting thoughts; did this mean it wasn't such a complicated project as you'd said? Or could you have actually got it finished by Friday? Perhaps you've over charged him? Because he's happy you did what you said and within the time scale, he pushes his doubts to the back of his mind. However, the client now learns to "expect" (that's his job) the service you created in your fantastic under promised way. So, he gives you another project. You give him a timescale and price, again under-promising so you can confidently over deliver with a big smile on your face. The client remembers his thoughts from the last project and asks you to "try a bit harder" on the timescale. You do, because hey, you like the guy. He was really grateful last time. And so, the next time Mr Client asks you to do something he expects it to be done as fast and efficient and for the same price as before - now he won't be impressed by your over-delivery - this is just his expectation. And sadly, when you deliver on time and in budget, Mr Client wonders why it took so long. He wonders if he pushed a little harder he could get your price down or your timescale shortened. And he pushes, and he pushes... You've taught your client that you can do it faster than you've told him. The doubts are there. He wonders if you've lied to him! The shame of it! And what happens if something goes wrong - if you can't deliver in the real timescale - or the price escalates? Or someone lets you down, or the goalposts change? The Issues Now, the issues are a little more wide ranging than the example above. Some of our clients are even saying that these days in order to get a chance of winning work they have to make big promises (and then work out how to deliver on them ;-) Quite often the client needs to do her bit to make the project run well - and she'll have her own clients and other things to do! Increasingly, you're not working on a project in isolation, there may be other suppliers in the equation This can all lead to dissatisfaction for everyone involved. So, What's The Answer Well, taking everything into account, you still need to make promises to your customers, but the answer is in the details. The answer lies in understanding what's important to the client and working with the client to make sure that you can deliver on that. Then over deliver on something you have complete control over. In our course "Coaches Can!" we talk about the difference between control and influence. So before I let you into our secret, I'd just like to clarify the difference between Control & Influence. To me, misunderstanding the difference between that which you can control and that which you can merely influence is the biggest reason for client disappointment and feelings of failure. Control VS Influence (Outcomes and Intentions) That which is beyond your immediate and complete manipulation is not, whether we like it or not, within our control. So what is within our control? * Our Emotions and Motivation (although not all of us accept this) * Our Response To Outside Influences (although not all of us accept this either) * The Direction We Take In Life * Every Action We Take * The Way We Communicate * What We Say and Do and Promise * What We Choose To Believe or Ignore * Inanimate Objects & Tools We Use Everything else that is outside of us (especially other animals/humans) we can only influence. Here are some examples of things you can only influence... * Whether Someone Likes You * Whether People Will Buy * What Other People Find Important * Whether People Believe You * Convincing Someone of Something * Getting Someone to Do Something (even if you're a hypnotist) Sure, you can exert enough influence that it seems like control. If someone held a gun to your head, they could probably influence you to do a lot of things. But despite that, they couldn't get you to think different things or feel differently about something because they still only have influence. Finally, there are some things we have no direct control or influence over... such as the weather, space, time, where we start out in life, but there's no benefit dwelling on the things we cannot do - because it's more empowering to focus on what we can do. The Solution You cannot control how your clients feel, but you can influence this. You need to concentrate on explaining the value, rather than the cost. Understanding their real requirements, rather than the standard trotted out time and budget ones. You need to work out what you are in control of and what you can merely influence. And then you need to Over Promise & Deliver on the Promise on those things that are in your control. Simple ;-) Speak Soon, 'Dangerous' Debbie Jenkins (c) Copyright 2005 www.BookShaker.com SUMMER CAN BE SLOW FOR BUSINESS I'm wondering if... You Know Other People who should be reading this too? So do us all a favour (they get 2 free books - we get a new subscriber - you get to look good) when you Pass On This link... http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk
MORE RESOURCES: SIGNED INTO LAW: Senators Hassan and Marshall’s Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Government Customer Service Maggie Hassan CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service CSPI Newsroom SailPoint Recognized as a 2024 Gartner Peer Insights™ Customers’ Choice for Identity Governance and Administration Business Wire Ace Hardware Earns Top Spot on Forbes Customer Service List Hardware Retailing Valvoline Ranked Among Best in Customer Service AftermarketNews.com (AMN) Vontier’s Driivz extends its offering to provide Call Center and Network Operation Center (NOC) Services GlobeNewswire What’s the future for customer service and hospitality in coffee? Perfect Daily Grind Cents Launches Cents Assist, the First AI-Powered Call Center Built for Laundry Businesses PR Newswire Liberty Flagpoles Joins Salute to America 250, Guarantees Best Customer Service, Prices & Quality on US Flags & Flagpoles Markets Insider Is a hybrid AI-human model the key to superior customer service? Interesting Engineering My experience as a Customer Service and Sales Intern Toby Shapiro's Experience at A.D. Sutton and Sons Chapman University Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) Fulton County Recognizes National Customer Service Week Fulton County Government Conway Corp employees win MACTA Customer Service awards Log Cabin Democrat America's Best Customer Service 2025 Newsweek Celebrate Customer Service Week City of Riverside, California (.gov) Fulton County Recognized as a 2024 National Customer Service All Star Fulton County Government Attorney General Bonta Demands Better Customer Service for Californians California Department of Justice PROFILES IN BUSINESS: King's Finest Vintage focuses on restoration, organization and customer service The Herald Journal Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside, California (.gov) Customer Assistance Programs DC Water Good customer service does exist Houston Herald 8 strategies for using AI for customer service in 2024 Sprout Social Shep Hyken, HPU Customer Service Expert, Mentors Students and Staff High Point University 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Department of Transportation | Department of Transportation Governor Tom Wolf Can artificial intelligence rescue customer service? The Economist I CARE VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs SUN Bucks: Pennsylvania’s Summer EBT program Governor Tom Wolf Updated Customer Service Hours - Several Departments Downtown Riley County Official Website What Your Business Can Learn From Southwest Airlines Business.com Office of Developmental Programs Governor Tom Wolf Contact Us - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE Forbes Banglalink launches AI chatbot for customer service newagebd.net bizfile California Secretary of State IRS Should Ensure Customer Service Enhancements Are Accessible for Taxpayers with Disabilities National Taxpayer Advocate View/Pay Your Utility Bill City of Tucson Social Security Is Improving Our National 800 Number and Reducing Call Wait Times Social Security Matters Worcester unveils new 311 Customer Service Center Spectrum News 1 Q&A: Focus on customer service a priority for Strat executive CDC Gaming Reports Fare-Free Service for Customer Appreciation and Try Transit Week charlottenc.gov Generative AI for Customer Service and Support - Use Case NVIDIA Daily News Report Top 6 social media customer service tools for your brand Sprout Social Video Quick Take: Intercom’s Brian Donahue on How AI Customer Service Agents Are Delivering Massive Value HBR.org Daily 8 customer service trends to know in 2025 Sprout Social Permits King County Airline conducts customer service review Royal Gazette Running our contact centers on Azure Microsoft Don’t trust Google for customer service numbers. It might be a scam. The Washington Post They’ve got your back: Meet American’s system customer service managers - American Airlines Newsroom They’ve got your back: Meet American’s system customer service managers American Airlines Newsroom Gartner Survey Finds 64% of Customers Would Prefer That Companies Didn’t Use AI For Customer Service Gartner How I learned customer service at the Farm Progress Show Farm Progress Ask Cooper - Customer Service AI Assistant Santee Cooper |
RELATED ARTICLES
What Every Employee Should Know About Putting Positive Phrases Into Customer Service If you were a customer on the telephone with a question or complaint and were ready to make big purchase, which of the following phrases by this employee would make you feel welcome and want to complete your transaction? Which would drive you away?* I'm sorry. I didn't get that. Invalid Excuses for Poor Business Results - The Weather Note to Kmart: It wasn't about the weatherIn the 1970s Kmart was the retailer to beat. No matter what happened, they seemed to turn profit. 11 Ways to Get What You Want - Be a Clever Customer! We all want great service, whether we are buying our weekly groceries from a store, or want a billing hitch resolved at our local utilities provider. Whether it's getting our car fixed, or a great meal in a restaurant. Customer Feedback: Everyone has an Opinion - USE IT! Have you ever been in a department store and known exactly what you were looking for but couldn't locate any staff to help you find it? Think of your website as your very own department store, and your contact numbers, email addresses, and FAQ's navigational buttons as your staff. Without these handy interaction tools, your purchaser will get frustrated and E-shop somewhere else. Accountability The Call Center world is an intense pressure-driven environment continually being shaped by pressure to ensure steady profitability and a secure competitive advantage.Accountability and a basic fundamental understanding of Performance Management serve as two of the most power tools a Call Center manager has at his/her disposal. 4 Myths about Customer Value The purpose of business is to create and retain a customer.Much has been written about customer orientation, customer relationship management (CRM), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) metrics, Customer Centric organization models, customer retention, customer care-add any high sounding word with -customer- preceding or succeeding that word and you have a new model, a new theory. Customer Service: Why Bears Make Bad Customers Every business owner should have a picture of his or her ideal customer. When I picture my ideal customer, I see a business owner struggling to find time for all that needs to be done, someone passionate about what they do, someone striving to find answers to make their business run better. Listening to Customers - 5 Tips In a strange juxtapositioning of articles, this month's UK 'Management Today' has three pieces, relating to the importance of listening to customers.Susan Rice, CEO of Lloyds TSB makes it clear how vital it is for great leaders to listen and hear. What To Do When Youve Blown It It's bound to happen sooner or later - yes, even to you and your business. Sometime or other, you will make a blunder that upsets a customer. Customer Service Tips - Is Your Business A Leaky Bucket? Customer service and customer service training are vital for any business.But, is your business a leaky bucket?This is a question I always ask small business owners who attend my marketing seminars. Dont Eliminate The Middle Man - Add One Today, there are situations when we actually add a "middle person" instead of eliminating one for increased service efficiency. If it's cost-effective and demand is high, then proper market positioning will make it a worthwhile endeavor. Customers - What They Really Want - 6 Secrets of Customer Service What customers really want can be divided into two areas.Firstly - they want the core service of your business tomeet their needs. Raising The Bar For Online Magazine Subscription Services And Customer Service After years of flying below the radar in the magazine subscription service arena online, MagMall.com is gaining traction real fast. Customer Service For Huge Profits Customer service is the most vital asset for Businesseither it is online or offline. It's the critical factorwhich determines if your business has a future or not. All of the World of Business Is a Stage One of the basics of acting taught to me in grade school was the important principle of "staying in character." Staying in character means holding the image and personality of the character you are assigned to portray without letting your own personality leak through. Listen to Suggestions If you are up to your ears in a stressful situation, it becomes difficult to think clearly. Sometimes, it is best to walk away from a problem, and think about it, rather than try to solve it with an instant solution. Stellar Customer Service in 10 Simple Steps If you're like me, you've had plenty of experience with BAD customer service. Just think about the last time you had a bad experience with a product or a service. The 7 Principles of Business Integrity If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. Is Your Food Establishment Clean? Is your restaurant, bar or hotel clean? I mean really clean. I don't mean"do you stick to all the rules and regulations?". Mexico: Online Ordering-Dont! I got it into my head sometime in December 2004 that I wanted order a laptop computer. I thought I would get one from the hugely popular computer company that allows you to call their 800 number and custom order what you want. |
home | site map |
© 2006 |