simple tips to effectively manage customer expectations
TRANSCRIPT
Simple Tips to Effectively Manage Customer
Expectation
Introduction
Customer expectations are the concepts which are directly related with the level of satisfaction your customer will have from your ability to provide to their needs.
By asking questions, you can help understand how much growth you want over a certain time period, or even a realistic percentage of growth that you can expect.
Consistency is another important aspect for you to create an unforgettable purchase experience.
The rate of success or failure, is the metric that is used to determine whether or not a customer works with your company again or not.
Tips to Manage Customer Expectation
Keep Your Clients InformedBe Honest with ClientsDo Not Make AssumptionsSet Certain BoundariesHave a Good CRM SoftwareAlways Summarize the CallHave All Details ClearedMaintain Data ReportsDefine the Goals
Keep Track of Customer ExpectationsAlways have “Plan B”Have Longer Period ContractsShow that You Care About Their OpinionBuild Trust Among CustomersBe Ready to Agree to DisagreeSpeak Your OpinionMaintain Contact Throughout
1. Keep Your Clients Informed
It is vital that you are totally frank with your customers about what they are expecting from your company and what your expectations in return should be.
You should get down with your customers and discuss with them what is actually possible and what cannot be done by you and your firm.
Keeping your customers as informed as possible while referring to the project status, it is essential to give them a schedule, and then following that timetable no matter what happens.
If there are any problems, it is your duty to let them know as soon as you yourself find out about it, which will build customer trust.
2. Be Honest with Clients
It is important not to promise things that you cannot deliver to your customers as this will ruin the image of the company.
Being honest with your customer will help you in building a reputation for your reliability that will survive any disappointment that might occur.
3. Do Not Make Assumptions
It is imperative to check, and reassess and ensure that no major miscommunication gets in the way.
It is very important not to make any assumptions. If you are talking on the phone in order to discuss any
customer problem, take care to follow up with an email repeating the key points of the discussion to prevent any future errors.
4. Set Certain Boundaries
Never go way beyond the possibility of the work with the customers, and if done so, it is important to comprehend it.
As it usually means that you have allowed them to reasonably take advantage of your company services.
The solution in such circumstances is to create several boundaries by saying no whenever it is required or even training customers what to expect by blatantly stating it upfront and going no further than what is stated.
5. Have a Good CRM Software
It is important to choose a CRM software which comes with job-flow charts, something that will help you see exactly where your package is at any moment, with the click or touch of a button.
Doing so can be challenging but with the right tools it can be done easily.
Comparing the prices of the call center software can help you select the best software for the job.
6. Always Summarize the Call
At any time, when you have a call with a customer, make it a point to send them an email with your understanding and knowledge of what was discussed with the customer, the next steps that should be followed, and the conclusions that were decided.
It will create fewer misunderstandings.
7. Have All the Details Cleared
Regularly sending clear details to inform the customer of what’s being worked on and what’s planned ahead will ensure that everyone’s on the same page at all times.
Getting the buy in from the customer is crucial for the growth of business.
8. Maintain Data Reports
Assemble a data report for your customers that will replicate on what you accomplished for them and their accounts each month.
By offering a report that will cover everything that they would ever want to know from you.
This will solve your problems with customer expectations.
9. Define the Goals
It is important to clearly define the goal you and your agents are working toward, whether it is verbally or if in a contract, and make sure to clearly communicate it to the customer before any implementation.
There should be transparency in the process and you and the customer should be aware of the outcome that your company is trying to achieve.
10. Keep Track of Customer Expectation
Your most important goal has to be managing your customers’ expectations in the correct manner.
Most customers expect higher growth level in this process. Though, some of their expectations may be unrealistic and go
against the company’s better practices and policies. Ironing out immediately can help save time.
11. Always Have “Plan B”
No matter how much planning is done in a project, something will inevitably arise that goes against your agreed process despite taking all precautions.
Rather than blaming the customer for this even if it their fault, take care to have an in-built coping system that will help with these changes.
12. Have Longer Period Contracts
Avoiding month to month agreement should be a significant step.
If the service takes plenty of time to show the desired results, do not agree to month-to-month contracts.
It’s critical that you spend time upfront discussing how long it will take your company to show results.
Remember that after a project is over, there is no one who will remember how many meetings you had with your customers or how many documents that you created, or even how fast you accomplished something.
Be certain that your customers will always remember the experience you shared with them.
13. Show That You Care About Their Opinion
It is essential to show the customers that you care about their concerns and their purchases.
From the commencement of the deal between you and your customers, right at the onset of anything you’re about to do in relation to them, always ensure you care about it, and take time to show them that care.
Remember that the first and last impressions you leave on your customer’s mind are everything and it will set the tone for future working relationships between you and your customers.
Getting to know your customers outside of a business relationship is also very helpful in building a relationship.
14. Build Trust Among Customers
Work on building a proper amount of trust into your relationship with your customers.
Trust is a delicate thing that you can lose it at any time and never get it back from your customers.
Saying what you mean, telling them what you plan to do and then taking care to follow it through will build trust.
You should provide the background for the tasks you undertake.
This will provide great transparency, and it will create a great buy-in to the work, giving value to the little things that help make everything else better for your customers and your company.
15. Be Ready to Agree to Disagree
You should agree on a strategy with your customers, or agree on similar goals, and agree on a timeline and expectations.
Disagreeing can also be helpful even if it looks intimidating at first, because it is not easy and no one wants to leave behind hard feelings with customers, but sometimes saying no is the only way to weed out profitable information from non-profitable ones.
It is needed in order to accomplish the things you have already started with your customer.
16. Speak Your Opinion
If the customer has hired you for your expertise in their interests, know that they also keep you around for your opinion on a particular topic to add to their experience.
If there are some things that don’t seem right between the company and the customer, be sure to speak up and clear the air
17. Maintain Contact Throughout
Communicate with your customers again and again throughout the transaction, especially if they are important customers.
This is because of how we always present the information, and it is mostly subject to interpretation and your customer will absorb it in all sorts of ways that are different.
Some will decipher it contextually from the situation, others will move forward verbally
