Everyone appreciates a little something extra. In New Orleans, it’s
called lagniappe. It’s the small wind-fall that makes a customer feel good
about doing business with a particular
firm. In an era when customers often are
relieved when a deal meets minimum
contract standards, the company that
exceeds client expectations is going to
shine.
“We have always believed it is better to
underpromise and overdeliver,” says
Carl Albright, president and chief executive officer of InfoCision Management
Corp., Akron, Ohio. While it is not
always simple to achieve that goal, the
benefits of going beyond what is expected are great. The idea works at all levels
— including an executive’s dealings with
the company’s customers and dealings
with the company’s employees.
Smart Business asked Albright for a
peek behind the curtain to see how a
successful company can set about
exceeding expectations.
Before you can exceed client expectations you have to set a level of expectation,
correct?
You absolutely need to set ‘initial’
expectations. If a client knows you are
going to do what you tell them, you build
immediate trust and confidence. When
you exceed those numbers, goals or
service levels, your clients know you are
always working in their best interests.
Exceeding your client’s expectations is
not only a great way to endear yourself
to your client, it is simply good business.
It is a way to build a level of trust and
security for future dealings.
An old butcher’s maxim used to be: Always
give them a bit more meat than they ask for
but don’t be afraid to charge them for it.
Does this hold?
We certainly strive to overdeliver.
However, we do not charge our clients
when we exceed those original expectations. Delivering a bit more than the client expects should simply be part of
everyday operations.
Does this concept have other applications,
as well?
We strongly believe that this whole
concept works internally, as well.
Exceed your staff’s expectations.
Exceed your employees’ expectations.
Exceed your boss’s expectations. You
will shine through every time someone
thinks about you.
Whenever you deliver higher numbers,
more sales or a higher return than you
originally told your client — whether
that client is external or internal — you
are putting yourself into a partnership
with that person. You are avoiding
explaining problems away and you are
avoiding difficult conversations at a later
time. It runs in tandem with the ‘no surprises’ philosophy of management. The
only surprises should be good ones.
No matter what you do, doesn’t everyone
always want ‘more, better, faster’?
In my experience, I don’t think that
everyone wants more, better, faster. In
actuality, most clients and most customers are very realistic with their
expectations. They go into a situation
with a good understanding of the transaction and the services involved. Just as
with anything in life, you are likely to
find that some people are more demanding than others. Some people are less
appreciative than others. All in all, a
good business arrangement allows you
to set expectations up ahead of time
with your clients and establish the goals
that they want you to meet. Then, when
you achieve them and then surpass
them, things almost always work out
very positively for everyone involved.
How forcefully should you ‘sell’ the notion
that you gave extra?
When things go well and an organization or person is able to exceed expectations, you really do not need to sell your
services or brag about the idea that you
gave them something extra, because
they are aware of the parameters of the
original agreement and usually are very
appreciative when you exceed their
expectations.
No matter what happens, you always
want to deliver more than you did the
previous year. You always want to make
sure you did not ‘sell’ clients on the expectations. It needs to be a collaborative
effort, so they know you want them to be
happy. The goal should be to not continually tell clients how well you are doing,
but get them to tell you that you are
doing a good job and then continually
meet and exceed their expectations. <<
CARL ALBRIGHT is president and CEO of InfoCision Management Corporation., Akron, Ohio. He oversees all aspects of the company’s day-to-day operations from sales to marketing to information technology. Reach him at [email protected]. In business
for 25 years, InfoCision Management Corporation is the second largest privately held teleservices company and a leading provider of
customer care services, commercial sales and marketing for a variety of Fortune 100 companies and smaller businesses. InfoCision is
also a leader of inbound and outbound marketing for nonprofit, religious and political organizations. InfoCision operates 32 call centers
at 13 locations throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. For more information, visit www.infocision.com.