Managing Expectations

your success relies on how satisfied
your customers are with your service
customer expectations change all the
time luckily you have some control when
it comes to setting realistic
expectations for your customers
and that will help you prevent confusion
and difficult situations
in this section we're going to look at
ways we can improve your messaging and
go from vague to clear and efficient
communication
we'll also discuss the reason why some
customers tend to miss important
information
and what you can do to avoid these kinds
of scenarios
and lastly we'll take a look at what to
do when customers approach you with
unreasonable expectations
with the following strategies you'll be
able to better manage customer
expectations
and provide quality service setting
realistic customer expectations often
comes down to efficient communication
you need to use clear language to help
your customers avoid unpleasant
surprises
this applies to communication in person
in writing
and on the phone when reading or hearing
information
customers tend to choose the best case
scenario
that usually happens when we aren't
specific or clear with our messaging
vague information will result in
confusion for example
if you are processing an online purchase
and tell the customer
your package will be delivered in three
to five days
customers tend to hear three days even
if in reality the order might not arrive
until day five
instead try telling them your order will
take up to five days to arrive
this way you're managing customer
expectations from the beginning
and there's less chance of
disappointment in fact
they'll be happy to see that their order
arrived early if it does come on day
three
or four instead of day five so as a
result everybody will be happy
or here is another example when you are
responding to an email
and say i'll get back to you soon
customers might think that you'll get
back to them in 10 minutes
even what you really mean is a couple of
hours instead
be really specific when exactly you're
going to follow up
you can give them a specific deadline
such as i'll get back to you by 4 pm
today
the key here is to make sure that you do
give yourself some extra time so you're
not rushing to get the answers
also avoid telling your customer that
you'll solve their problem and then
later contradict the time that you
mentioned
if you break the promise customers will
see that as a sign of poor service
so by clearly communicating from the
beginning you'll be able to manage their
expectations
and ideally be able to exceed them when
you go out of your way to help
even when we do our best to communicate
sometimes the customers simply don't
read or remember our instructions
that can be pretty frustrating
especially when they come back to you
with unreasonable expectations
to understand why this happens let's
look at the situation from their
perspective
first of all they don't have the same
expertise about your company service or
product as you do
what might be obvious to you might be
completely missed by someone who is not
familiar with your company
and your policies oftentimes customers
are busy multitasking or they just have
a lot going on in their life
as a result they end up missing
important information that you share
with them
one way to prevent this is by using
multiple forms of communication
for example if you have an important
refund policy this could be shared by
email
posted on the website and stated later
on the receipt after someone makes that
purchase
if you are sharing important details in
conversation make sure to speak slowly
so people are more likely to retain this
information and not get confused
also keep in mind that everyone
understands and remembers information
in different ways personally i'm more of
a visual learner
i know i'm more likely to remember
something when i see it in writing
for other people it might be easier to
remember the information if they hear
someone say it
basically your job is to think of ways
you can communicate important details in
multiple ways with your customers
there is a better chance they will
remember this information it'll help you
set expectations and reduce unpleasant
surprises
down the road dealing with unreasonable
customers is going to happen
in every business it's an inevitable
part of customer service
across all industries for an e-commerce
business
a customer might be upset that they have
to pay for return shipping
for a tech company a customer might be
disappointed that the software wasn't
compatible with their computer
and so on there are many examples like
this but there are ways to make these
experiences easier and more productive
for both you and the customer
as well as the company so how do you
handle customers with unreasonable
expectations
we've already discussed that the best
way is to manage expectations from the
beginning
that means to warn them ahead of time
use
different methods of communication and
different formats for presenting this
information
but what do you do when it's already too
late and you're already facing an upset
customer
when this happens you need to take
action to help them feel better
and to prevent the issue from happening
again let's go over some things
not to do in this kind of situation
first of all
don't talk down to the customer dealing
with an upset customer can be
challenging
and it's frustrating but it's also
important to stay respectful and calm to
control the situation
never tell them it's their mistake even
if that's the case
if you're the customer the last thing
you should want to hear is that it's
your fault and what you should have done
differently
avoid pointing fingers in using this
kind of language so the situation
doesn't escalate
do your best not to show your
frustration being impatient with a
customer can make them feel disrespected
or embarrassed
once somebody feels that way it would be
very difficult to help them solve the
issue
your best bet is to avoid triggering
those emotions by staying collected and
calm
if both you and the customer get upset
you'll be stuck
in a negative conversation without a
solution
so your goal should be to listen
carefully to what they have to say
and try and understand their needs the
trick is to make them feel like you're
on their side and really do want to help
them even if you can't give them exactly
what they're asking for
when a customer feels that you're acting
like their friend and are on their side
they'll be more likely to listen to the
options you're proposing
and as a result it'll be easier for both
of you to work out a solution