INTRODUCTION
ENSURING THE CUSTOMERS
EXPECTATION
The process of setting customer expectations begins with the very
first element of contact. Often, this is an advertisement or some sort of
marketing piece. Occasionally, it is a news item or other public relations-generated
mention of the company, product, or service in the news media. Unlike
referrals, these are communication vehicles over the companies have a
considerable, or even total, amount of control.
The messages that are contained in these communications are almost
always crafted with the objective of driving customers to Business Company-and
most often they're targeted toward new customers. But these communications can
sometimes do long-term damage if they set unrealistic or inappropriate
expectations. They might be successful in getting customers into the business
companies, but in doing so; they can inadvertently undermine the company
ability to generate an experience that satisfies the new customer.
Is this communication congruent with my standards statement? Every
marketing communication the company creates should reflect the values of that
statement, or at the very least, not contradict them.
Every promise an
organization make in an advertisement creates a clear expectation on the part
of companys’ customers. When the manager of the company do this, two critical
elements are involved in making certain marketing message hasn't become counterproductive
by the time the customer leaves the company’s business.
- The first step is to make certain everyone in the organization is aware of everything being promised. If a customer has to spend even a few minutes waiting for someone who's familiar with the business's current promotion, it can significantly diminish the quality of that customer's experience.
- The second fundamental principle in fulfilling the marketing promises is to do so as quickly as possible, without the customer having to ask for what the company has promised. When the company is forthcoming with whatever it is that the company’s customer expects, your credibility shoots up while the customer's anxiety level drops down.
Understanding All the
Expectations Customers Bring to Transactions
Customers bring many different kinds of expectations to a
transaction. For almost every business, a whole set of these unconscious or
"hidden" expectations affect the quality of its customers' experiences.
If the company focus only on the most explicit expectations, then the customers'
experiences will almost certainly be much less satisfying than possible. Sure,
the company must address the customers' primary expectations, but the company
should also be persistently trying to understand all of your customers'
expectations--especially the hidden ones--and then exploring ways to address
them all.
Customers are hardly ever entirely satisfied with a transactional
business relationship. In addition to the company's product or service, the
customer will sometimes be looking for a friend and confidant; sometimes, the
customer will be seeking an authority figure, even a surrogate parent; and
sometimes the customer will be looking for some kind of status or validation.
In any event, the company ability to deliver killer customer care often depends
on how well the company can identify and address these ancillary expectations.
Market on Customer Care
If the company’s standards statement is predicated on exceptional customer
care, then a marketing message emphasizing aggressive pricing will attract
customers who are looking for something different from what the company is offering.
Those customers' expectations are unlikely to ever be met. Conversely, if the
company standards statement positions, manager as the value leader in the
company marketplace, then a marketing message that emphasizes customer service
will create a comparable problem. Being the low-cost provider in the company
market not often provides enough available margin to support an extensive
customer service infrastructure.
The most common and basic expectations customers have for most
businesses include:
- Fast, efficient and accurate service
- High quality products at a competitive price
- Friendly, helpful service staff to provide information and answer questions
- Prompt responses to their inquiries, whether online, by phone or in person
- Sufficient stock to meet their needs without long waits
- A trained staff that can handle their questions without referring them on
- A clean facility or easy to navigate website
Surprising
a customer by exceeding their expectation is a great way to make sure they’ll
be back in the future.
- Empathise
Earning customer trust is vital. Keeping customer interests at
heart is an essential mindset for success, and that can be achieved through
empathy.
“Try to think of things from the customer’s perspective and be more
empathetic. For instance, for a customer service inquiry or complaint , the
managers have to put their self in the customer’s shoes and ask ‘how would I
like to be treated?’ and then figure out the best way to do that[1],”.
With the empathise, the company get the image of the customers and
try to satisfy their needs; Empathy is The
capacity to know emotionally what another is experiencing from within the frame
of reference of that other person, the capacity to sample the feelings of
another or to put one's self in another's shoes[2].
The managers have to analyse what the company can do to help and satisfy the needs
of the customers, to analyse the perception of the customers on the specific
products and also request a feedback on the impact of the products; with this
strategy, the customers understand well their contribution and ability to
develop and expand the revenue of the company.
- Take ownership of the problem
Customers can be passed
around call centre departments without their problem being resolved. This can
be frustrating and time consuming for the customer. It can also damage a call
centre’s reputation. But customer service agents can stop the cycle of calls
and buck-passing by taking ownership of the problem themselves. Call Centre
Helper’s Agent of the Month for August 2010 is a prime example[3].
Take ownership of the problem is the strategy to show how the company
is valorizing the problems of the customers; if someone can value and
understand the level of the problem in the business company this create more
confidence for the customers, this have to be done by all employees of the
company so that the customers can come again in the future,
- Follow up
Even after a problem is resolved a customer service agent can
exceed expectations by following up with the customer. A brief call to check
that the product or service is working satisfactorily can show the customer
that the business has taken their problem on board and is seeking to avoid
similar situations in the future. It can also serve as a useful feedback tool
for the business – as a check on the effectiveness of their problem-solving.
Follow up helps the manager of business companies to get whether
the problem resolved has bring the positive impact and this the good way of
showing to customers that the problem arised were a big challenge for the
company and it doesn’t expect it[4].
4. Treat customers fairly
Fair treatment of customers may sound obvious, but it runs deeper
than just the dealings between agent and caller. “People often see customer
service in a very linear way, as being just the conversation, but it’s a lot
more. For example, if a customer asks the company not to call them again then
the company has a responsibility to disposition calls appropriately, and if the
managers don’t the company run the risk of calling them when they don’t want to
be called,”.
The needs of customers have to be respected equally;if not this can
be the cause of losting the crients
Ultimately, treating customers fairly is about putting them at the
heart of everything, and ensuring that agents and support systems can work
around their needs.
- Find a balance
The business company often struggles to balance their business
needs with the needs of customers. Performance monitoring can place a certain
set of pressures upon staff. For example, if a customer’s query takes a long
time to resolve, the agent may be tempted to provide a simple but not
completely effective solution to save time, when the best customer service
outcome would be to take time to resolve the company’s issue.
“That balance is incredibly important, and it’s challenging because
not all products are the same. Depending on the product or service the business
company is supporting, those business variables can change tremendously,” says
Turner.
Agents should feel able to stay with a customer for a longer time
than usual if required in order to solve the problem properly.
The business companies work very hard to maximize their benefits
and achieve to the target goals but the mistake done when the business company
don’t take in consideration the needs of customers; the question can e what the
customers are expecting from the companies and what the companies is expecting
from the customers? If both are helping each other so it is better to balance
the needs so that the number of customers can increase day to day.
- Try to become an expert in the companies field
Customers can now find answers to their questions online, and only
call in when a question is too complicated.
“The more sophisticated answers have become the domain of the call
centre. Call centres need more skilled agents, more judgement, more wherewithal
to solve complex problems quickly – and handle escalation in a valuable way,”.
Agents could try to learn as much as possible about the products
and services they represent. Learning about competitors may also help. The more
knowledge an agent has, the more professional they will sound during a call
when asked a question. They’ll also save time rather than having to look things
up.
becoming an expert require to be an exemplary and motivated
business firm, to become n expert the business company have to understand and
analyze the capacity of the other organization so that the company can compete
In the good atmosphere with other business companies.
- Make recommendations
Customers expect call centre agents to try to sell them things, but
they won’t necessarily expect to receive recommendations for products or
services from other companies. It isn’t a good idea to glow with enthusiasm for
a direct competitor but during the course of a customer service conversation
opportunities arise for agents to show their expertise. If you’re dealing with
faulty electrical goods, for example, and a customer seems lost as to what to
do, why not tell them about any relevant experiences of your own?
Alternatively, if you can’t help with a customer’s query, try recommending
somewhere else to try. Honesty builds trust, and the customer will see that the
agent isn’t just a company mouthpiece.
- Ditch the script
Scripted calls can sound robotic. They also reduce the true
engagement possible in a real conversation. Replace jargon with clear, concise
language.
“Be human, not a robot, and say it like it is. Our customers expect
us to say what were going to do, when we are going to do it and to actually do
it within that time,” says Emma Portch, Customer Service Advocate at Cable
& Wireless Worldwide.
“I get a bit of a buzz from being able to call a customer and tell
them that an issue has been resolved and that we’ve been able to achieve that
ahead of schedule.”
That kind of buzz drives great service. A robot could never match
it. Robots don’t have emotions, after all.
- Take time to reflect
Regular discussion with colleagues can help call centre agents
discover their strengths and weaknesses. Cable & Wireless Worldwide offers
staff the opportunity to complete an NVQ in Customer Service.
“It was a great opportunity to look at my skills, improve them, and
look at the things I do really well that I can pass on to colleagues,” says
Emma Portch.
Exchanging skills and knowledge will make a whole team stronger. If
an agent shares an effective way of doing something with the whole team, then
customers will receive a higher standard of service consistently – rather than
having very different experiences each time they call.
- Share the views
As a manager in order to achieve and satisfy the needs of
customers, you have to understand their views and their comments, in this way
of sharing the views of customers and get their comments helps the company to
modify, to change to improve the service in the aim of satisfying the customers’
needs. The customers are the king, if they are not there, the companies can’t
exist, so as a manger it is better to understand them and try hard to answer
their needs. In sharing the view, the customers give their thought and give the
image of the company their dreaming in; so this is a good opportunity for the
managers to realize the dreams of the customers
- Be part of the customer
As a manger it is very sad if you can work for a company but never
use their products, this image shows how you don’t trust the your company, in
order to maximize and reach to the big number of customer as a manager you have
to be the one and the best client of the company, this comes as an
advertisement, giving the examples of how you are experiencing the products of
the company create more hope on how you have a value on it and how good you can
work hard to develop the company so that the loss can’t affect your services.
- Competition
This is the big issue to deal with, some managers can’t afford to
deal with the customers and different ways can be used to destroy the
competitors of the customers, the value of the company to the mangers also give
the image to the customers, as a manager you have to respect the companies in
the same field; the customers are very happy if the companies bring the new
innovations or if they can copy the same services to their company
- Facilitating the customers
This comes as the way of approaching the customers, the customer
are in different location and the efforts you are using to reach to them create
more confidence and hope in them, the distance you are traveling , the efforts
you are using contribute more in creating the good image to the customers which
helps you to meet the expectation of customers.
WHY
MEETING THE CUSTOMERS' EXPECTATIONS?
The Benefits of Meeting Expectations can vary depending on the
service of the organsiation, but many of them are based on:
• Customers that transform from first-time visitors to loyal
clients
• Increased sales as customers feel more comfortable doing business
with you
• More referrals from satisfied customers who bring in additional
business by word of mouth
When you are able to accurately identify and adequately meet your
customers' expectations, your customer service reputation will automatically be
enhanced.
In nutshell there is no doubt that adequately meeting customer
expectations is an essential part of a robust customer service department. By
accurately identifying those expectations, and meeting or exceeding them
consistently, your company is likely to enjoy happier customers and a healthier
bottom line.
[4]
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