Managing Customer Expectations
Article Theme: managing customer expectations in order to overdeliver on value.
An article by Keith Rosen about managing customer expectations in order to overdeliver on value.
I'm happily writing this article from my new office. Yes, my home is finally (well, almost) complete.
Like many contractors who are looking to build their business, you hope to be rewarded with referrals from your customers as a testament to a job well done. While my architect generated six new clients as a result of direct referrals from me, my contractor will not be experiencing this benefit.
The fact is, my contractor did an incredible job. However, there are factors other than the final outcome that determine whether or not someone is "referral worthy." More specifically, the experience throughout the entire remodeling process. Based on this factor alone, I would never want to put someone through the stressful situations I experienced with my contractor; most of which could have been avoided if he simply took the time to better communicate and manage my expectations up front.
Over the last year, I've spoken with dozens of people who have undertaken large remodeling projects. The one resounding theme that resonated with practically each of them was, "I'll never do this again" and "I won't even talk to my contractor unless I have to, let alone use him again." Almost 90% of the people I spoke with ended the relationship with their contactor on poor terms. How unfortunate that something as exciting as a remodeling project can become such a painful process.
Here are two strategies that will enable you to learn from each project, exceed your customer's expectations, reduce your headaches and generate more referrals.
1. Establish Expectations: The good, the bad and the ugly ones. While there are things outside of your control that may slow down the project or cause problems, it doesn't mean you should keep them to yourself. After all, your customers are going to find out the hard way! By doing so, they're going to blame you. Instead, establish the expectations up front before the start of the project.
I'd suggest putting this in writing; "The Top Ten Things to Expect During Your Project." Here, you can include things like: the level of debris or mess on the job site and how you typically handle it (ex: dumpster on site and its location), possible delays (product/delivery delays or weather related), how you handle change orders and what that means in relation to the completion date, when you begin and end your work day, the number of people working on the job, etc. Laying this out on the table and on paper will let your customer in on what they can expect so when a problem does arise, it won't come as a shock. Plus, you look like the hero who prepared them for the worst, rather than the bad guy who's causing all of these problems.
2. Interview Your Customers: I'd suggest conducting two interviews/questionnaires that your customers can fill out and either fax or email back to you; one before the project begins and one upon completion. The first questionnaire would contain your basic contact information, your customer's information as well as what to do and who to contact if there's a problem. Determine your customer's expectation regarding the frequency of project updates and their preferred method of communication (phone, email, etc.).
Additionally, you can use this form to gather information about whether or not they have a pet and how that would be managed, if your customer will be home during work hours or if they will be leaving a key (home security?), even the customer's preference regarding bathroom use (ex: using the customer's bathroom or would they prefer that you get a portable toilet).
The final evaluation would then be used to gauge how well you've managed the project, what they liked/disliked and how you could improve. Most important, it would ask if they would be comfortable referring people to you, along with a place on the form to write down the names of the people you can contact.
Since each customer has a vastly different perception and expectation of their project, it's critical to uncover this up front. This way, you have control over whether or not you'll be meeting the expectations of a happy customer or being blind to their needs that create problems which could have been avoided from the start.
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