Folks in business like to talk about exceeding customer expectations. Enter the search term, “exceeding customer expectations” into Bing or Google and you will receive thousands of hits.
So why would businesses want to set customer expectations and then fail them? Let’s look at an example.
I stopped into this Yogurt Shop before a client meeting. I never had heard of them before. The particular location was only open a couple of weeks. The name sounded enticing to me. Coincidentally, I had just finished listening to a book that featured a kiwi character –a New Zealander. So, I went in.
What did I expect to find?
- Signs with “G’Day mate” on them.
- New Zealand flags or at least the colors of the flag.
- A cute story about the origins of the name.
What did I actually find?
- No New Zealand anything
- No “Kiwi” flavor yogurt
- A rather sad looking bin of cut up kiwi fruit in a back corner of the toppings section.
Vive La Difference!
The yogurt was no different than anywhere else. I was disappointed in the interior. With so many yogurt and ice cream stores around, why would I patronize the chain or this location in particular?
The Takeaway
If your company is setting customer expectations, then you must meet and hopefully, exceed them.
Over to you. What do you think? Please comment below.
- How often do you exceed customer expectations?
- How do you measure customer satisfaction?
- Does your company mission statement address meeting or exceeding customer expectations?
If you would like to contact me, you may do so by visiting my LinkedIn page, following me on Twitter, or e-mailing me at rcberman2 (at) yahoo (dot) com.
