The other day I was with a client when he turned to me and said, “Hey Case, how can I deliver a project to my customer on time, within budget and meet their criteria, yet they still don’t seem to have that warm fuzzy feeling about my services when the project is over?” “It’s simple,” I said, “Did you meet their expectations?” He looked at me for just a minute and said, “I think so.” So I asked again, “Did you meet every expectation they had?” He then fessed up and said, “You know what, maybe I didn’t. They were always complaining that I did not get back to them soon enough whenever they called me. You know how hard I am to reach, but my assistant was always there to speak with them every time they called!”

Unfortunately, this is such a common conversation for me. It turns out that this particular customer of my client’s was what you would consider “high touch” and no matter how successful the results were with the project he delivered, the customer was just someone that required considerable contact through-out the project from the person they hired and not his assistant. Some people just like to be informed about what’s going on by the person they originally engaged or hired!

Defining Client or Customer Expectations is a two way street and can be as simple as understanding exactly what it is that the customer expects from you as well as telling your customer UP FRONT what you expect from them! I have found the next 3 steps to be invaluable in helping my clients define the expectations of their customers.

1. Do Some Soul Searching – Before you engage your next client or customer, determine exactly where you may have gone wrong with your last client experience. One Example: Did I respond to their needs in the time frame they expected? It is essential that you are brutally honest with yourself here.

2. Define the Scenario – Step back and identify how you can easily determine EXACTLY what it is that your customer may expect from you. One Example: Do you conduct a client interview before the client engages you for your service? If not, consider asking a few key questions. Have you purchased this type of product or service before? If so, what did you like or dislike about your experience with XYZ Company? How could that experience have been better for you? If not, what do you expect from the company you hire?

3. Deliver as Promised – Do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it, it’s that easy! Don’t offer something you know you cannot deliver as expected. As the old adage says, Under Promise and Over Deliver! One Example: Did I not return their calls in the time frame they expected? If your voice mail says to “leave a message and I’ll return your call as soon as possible” change the message to say “if you leave a message, I’ll return your call in the next 24 hours”. This way, when you don’t call them back within 15 minutes after leaving a message, they won’t be angry.

A perfect example of defining my expectations as a consumer is with my local fast food restaurant. When my daughters ask me to get them a Kid’s Meal with a burger or some chicken nuggets, I already have a general idea of the experience I plan to have with the service at this establishment. As long as the counterperson is not rude and completes my transaction in a reasonable, timely

manner, I’m somehow pleased. However, if I decide to go out to a fine dining establishment, I tend to raise my expectations considerably and I am not willing to settle for less than stellar service and a pleasant attitude from everyone I encounter at that restaurant. The “fast food” restaurant has done an exceptional job of lowering my expectations to the point I am willing to accept the least bit of competence as a positive experience.

The answer is to establish your client’s or customer’s expectations early in the relationship and reaffirm these expectations often! Educate your client or customer as to what you plan to do, remind them while you are doing it, and once you have completed it, be sure to reiterate that you did it as you had originally planned. If you expect to deliver your project in 30 days, tell your client or customer to expect delivery from you in 45 days, this way, when you deliver in 30 days, they’ll be thrilled. And when you deliver that project earlier than expected, remind them that your delivery is early. Honesty is always your best approach, but establishing your client’s or customer’s expectations in such a way to ensure a quality business relationship is always good practice. Define expectations EARLY and OFTEN! You’ll be amazed at the results!