Managing Customer Expectations

In a recent coaching session an issue came to light regarding a customer compliant. Services were provided and the customer was HAPPY with the results, however the expected level of communication did not meet the customer's expectations. Luckily the customer was a personality type D and shared the disappointment.

The conversation went something like this:

Client: I was just told that our customer was happy with the quality of service that we provided but was not happy with the lack of communications.
Coach: What do you mean by "lack of communication"?
Client: He thought that we did not keep him in the loop.
Coach: So you didn't talk with him about what you were doing.
Client: No, that's not true. We talked with him every time he called, but he was always one step ahead.
Coach: What do you mean by "one step ahead"?
Client: Just about the time I was ready to call him and let him know the status, he called asking.
Coach: So was the service taking longer than normal?
Client: No, it was a normal job.
Coach: What I hear you saying is that you were performing your services normally and customer was more aggressive than your normal.
Client: Yes, I guess that is what I'm saying.
Coach: Let's go back to the beginning. When you were taking on the job, you explained your normal course of business and asked if that was going to meet his expectations?
Client: What?
Coach: When you were talking with him at the very beginning you must have said something like, "Normally it takes us a couple of hours to diagnosis the problem, obviously we will call you to let you know the severity of the problem, the cost and time to fix it, and typically we will then order the parts, communicating with you at the following stages (list) of the repair. Will that meet your expectations?
Client: No.
Coach: Ok, what did you tell him?
Client: We will call to get approval when we know what the cost to repair will be, to get approval, and again when the repair is complete.
Coach: And he was satisfied with that?
Client: Well, obviously he wasn't or we wouldn't be talking about it.
Coach: Do you think this is just an over demanding customer?
Client: No, I am lucky I learned about his disappointment. Had he been a personality type S, I would have never learned about it.
Coach: What do you mean?
Client: Based on what I have learned from you about personality types, 40% of the population are type S and they will not complain to me, however they will tell all of their friends of a bad experience.
Coach: Do you see that something needs to change?
Client: Well, I guess. How did you phrase that you used that ended with "Will that meet your expectations?"

Is this uncommon? No, it is normal. The problem with normal is that you don't create raving fans. Neutral or disappointed customers continue to shop for businesses who create raving fans. Raving fans not only continue to do business in the future, they also tell their friends about the level and quality of service. Raving fans become clients.

The key is to ask, after explaining "normal", ask if "normal" meets expectations. If the response is negative, bland or unconvincing ask what else you can do.

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Managing Client Expectations

If you are a general contractor or construction manager in today's residential market you must be extra sharp and be in tune with your client's expectations. As competition tightens, the only thing separating those who continue to prosper and those who don't are the ones who have clients that are totally satisfied not only with the product but with the process.

In order to do this, you must clearly hear your clients "voice" and keep your commitments to real achievable outcomes. Projecting false claims and information will only serve to create unrealistic expectations on the part of your client.

Client expectations are fueled by a number of sources. For many, expectations are a product of past remodeling experiences; good or bad, tales from relatives, neighbors and friends account for more while for others it can be false expectations from the lack of information and knowledge.

What ever the reason, as each project is different so are the client's goals and requirements. In order to satisfy them you must clearly know and understand what they are.

Remodeling Objectives

Of the three main objectives; quality, time and money, rarely if ever are you able to achieve all three during a projects lifecycle.

Time - If you are trying to satisfy a very tight construction schedule, then it will generally take more money to keep the quality at the highest achievable level while keeping the end date on track.
Money - If budget is a concern, then extending the schedule to one that is beneficial to a high quality at a reasonable pace would be most suitable.
Quality - Everyone has different expectations when it comes to quality but if you are trying to hold to a high construction standard as documented by some governing body (whether NIST, ISO quality standards, AWI or others), then either time or money will determine the finished product.

Falling Short

There are many reasons why expectations fall short. Some may be unrealistically projected by you while others may be based on unreasonable or false assumptions by your client. To avoid bad assumptions give clients relevant and accurate information in a timely fashion. Make sure they understand how the project will progress and what to expect along the way.

Hearing what they say and keeping them informed is a way to avoid disappointment. The project environment must always be conducive to open communications. Communicating issues early and honestly will bring about successful resolutions.

Dare everyone including your employees, subcontractors and vendors to rise to the challenge and meet or exceed you client's expectations. Reward them for doing so and you will all be the more profitable for it.

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Strategies for managing change - Resistance

Introduction

Any strategy for managing change must expect opposition. Resistance is natural and it can come from employees, partners and customers. They take people from the comfort and probably the introduction of risk in their careers.

Here are some ways to think of resistance as you take on overcoming resistance to your change-management strategies.

Who is resistance?

If you make changes, theCustomer impact, the degree of resistance will be correlated to the client's view of the level of risk to potential benefit for them. Client resistance to change is so important that we have devoted a separate paragraph on the subject below.

What kind of resistance?

For your employees, partners and others, it is important to understand whether their resistance passively or actively.

Passive resistance means worrying, complaining and grumbling elsewhereabout the change management strategy. Some call it whining, and sometimes they are right. You can not ignore the passive resistance, though it must be corrected immediately. Passive resistance is a distraction, and it is your entire organization rate of learning and acceptance of your change management strategy slowly.

Active resistance includes, inter alia, the organization and refused to participate in a change program or activity, and even sabotage or other serious efforts to the malignantStrategy.

Active resistance must be quickly confronted. Confirm person (or group) have right to express opinions and concerns. Then define acceptable and unacceptable behavior, and hold people to them.

My aim here is not to win people, or even to harass them about. It is just to correct the behavior. If you do this, you have received your active resistance to the same level as your passive resistance, and you can continue with that match both. If people or groups are notstop unacceptable behavior, you need a way to find them by changing your own program, to the point where they have no role or influence.

Addressing Acceptable Resistance

Now that you at the point where you do not have a behavior problem, you still need people used to get their concerns.

Plenty of time for complaints. Listen to them. Try something that you can actually address because many people simply feel better to know that something they saidhas been acted upon.

If you have really listened to the group know and they will probably be thankful and jump on board. A few may opt-out, but since you have the really strong objections dealt with before, this should not be traumatic.

Client resistance

Each time the introduction of change will affect the client, you can see, the guard up. Your first question is always very popular WIIFM (What's in it for me?) And if you have a great answerthat you, perhaps you can win quickly.

Even with an answer, and above all, without one, you can expect to have to do a lot of hands on. You always have to meet again, what changed and why. You need to show that you have contingency plans so that it will not cause interference, if something goes wrong.

Be honest with your customers. If a non-disruptive crisis plan is not possible to tell how to minimize their risks.

Consider the incentivesCustomers for the support of the change management strategy. If they go so that no costs are incurred to monitor systems while you make changes that will help them to recover these costs. Show that you are their interests at heart.

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