Customer Expectations & Service Delivery

When customer expectations are met and delivered by a company, the result is customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is invaluable to businesses because customers are the driving force behind a company's profitability and viability.

Definition

BNET says that customer satisfaction is unique to the individual, but can be defined as the set of expectations a customer has toward a product or service, and whether those expectations are met. If the expectations are not met, then the customer will not be satisfied. Meeting or exceeding expectations, however, is good business because it makes customers want to return for more.

Considerations

If you tell a customer that you can help him, or promise to do something for him, then you are contributing to his set of expectations. Be careful what you tell customers, because if you are unable to deliver your side of the bargain, customers will be disappointed. Only promise what you know you can deliver.

Significance

Some customers may have unrealistic expectations, but it is important to meet as many of their expectations as you can. When expectations are not met, the customer may perceive this as poor customer service delivery, and become dissatisfied. Dissatisfied customers make companies lose money. According to Destination CRM, globally companies lose an aggregate of $338.5 billion per year due to unhappy customers.

References

• BNET: Customer Satisfaction
• Destination CRM: Poor Customer Service Costs Billions