Many times in attempting to manage customer expectations, we preach negatives!

Your employees learn hard lessons about what clients expect. Anyone that picks up the phone has likely dealt with a disgruntled customer.

Eventually, employees start attempting to manage expectations by telling the customer what they will NOT receive in order to reduce angry phone calls. We must train employees to manage expectations without creating a negative brand perception.

When your sales team expresses what customers will not receive, they are reinforcing negatives. While we never want to build up false expectations, it is important not to start the brand/customer relationship with a negative perception. This is an easy way to lose customers and prospects to the competition! The more competitive the industry the more important it is to build up the benefits and value of your brand.

Rather than discussing what a customer WILL NOT receive, make it crystal clear what the customer CAN EXPECT from your product or service.

Be clear about what they will receive and the benefits of those items.

Do not preach benefits that your team cannot fulfill. Do you ever hear Walmart promote customer service? No one walks into Walmart expecting GoDaddy 24-hour support. Walmart focuses on what they know they can provide on a consistent basis, the lowest rates. Motel 6 promises they will “leave the light on” not that your bed will be comfortable.

Managing expectations is important for customer satisfaction, but when done incorrectly creates a negative customer experience and decreases retention.

Neither your employees or customers want to deal with angry phone calls. From the beginning, reinforce what customers will receive, not what they will not.

Preach what you know your product or service can provide and explain why you do outperform the competition in these areas. 

Monitor how employees communicate expectations to customers. What materials do you send out to prospects or customers that manage expectations? Do these materials (if any) support your sales team and brand experience?

Map out exactly what your product or service provides and dive into the benefits for each item on your list. After creating this list, evaluate how that language is relayed to customers and prospects.

For a free evaluation of your brand experience, contact our team.