San J uan College

Managing Customer Expectations

Tim Warren

Vice President for Technology ServicesSan Juan College

2010 Technology Leadership Conference

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San Juan College

Introduction

• Discuss the strategies used to align technology with the core business of the institution.

• Managing customer expectations requires IT to create and maintain credibility by:

listening to the needs of the customer and planning accordingly

explaining our services in their terms and not in the terms of the technology department

communication, communication, communication

and execution.

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Agenda

• Customers

• Expectations

• Customer Service Paradox

• Customer Satisfaction Equation

• Customer Perceived Value (CPV)

• Steps to Improve Understand Customer Understand Expectations Attitude Planning Delivery Communication

• Summary

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What defines a customer?

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A customer is…

• Someone who seeks out or pays for goods or services

• Someone who uses or receives goods or services

• Someone who is a stakeholder or has a business relationship with an organization

• A purchaser, organization, or consumer after the sale

• Someone who receives valuable information and assistance

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What are customer

expectations?

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• A belief centered on the future, which may

or may not be realistic

• A confident belief or strong hope that a

particular event will happen

• A standard of conduct or performance

expected by or of somebody

An expectation is…

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• A promised cluster of benefits

• Customer comparison of perceived vs. expected

benefits

• Evaluation of benefits vs. costs

• Bundle of benefits – economics, functional, and

psychological

Customer expectations are…

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• Grow,

shrink,

and change shape and direction

Expectations…

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• The difference between what customers

WANT

• And what they have learned they are going

to RECEIVE

The Customer Service Paradox

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• Customer expectations are formed from

customer experiences

• What customers want is usually different

than what they expect

• Providing customer service has become

more challenging

The Customer Service Paradox

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Your Performance

Customer Satisfaction = ______________

Customer

Expectations

The Customer Satisfaction Equation

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• Demonstrate maximization of value

• Verify bundle of benefits

• Out perform perceived alternatives

Customer Perceived Value (CPV)

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Customers remix

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• The most important person in any business

• Not dependent on us rather we are dependent on them

• Is not an interruption of our work

• Is part of our business

• Deserves the most courteous attention we can give them

Lets look at customers from a different viewpoint.

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• Reliability – providing services as promised

• Responsiveness – prompt and helpful

• Assurance – knowledgeable & trustworthy

• Empathy – individual attention & caring

• Tangibles – modern equipment, professional looking employees

Five determinants of service quality

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• Avoid the gap

between customer expectations

and perceptions

Always strive to…

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Steps to improve

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• Surveys, surveys, surveys

• Focus groups

• MBWA

• Listen

Understand Customer Expectations

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• Don’t wait for complaints to come to you

• Anticipate needs and set realistic expectations

through customer education and communications

• Watch for changes

• Educate your customers on what they can expect

Manage Customer Expectations

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• IT people consider themselves technologists

instead of service providers

• Keep commitments

• Tim’s Rule of Clumping

Attitude

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• Anticipate your customer’s next move

• Understand your business and your industry

• Through planning you can meet your customer

expectations and become strategically valuable to

your business

Planning

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• The customer needs to know about your progress

on their problems, what you will deliver, and what

you need from them and when you expect to

deliver

• Don’t confuse customer contact with

communication

• Customers tend to define their needs in terms of

what they don’t like instead of what they like

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

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• You have to deliver results when promised

• And attend to the process

• Because excelling in the technical element alone

will not improve expectations

Deliver

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• Who can really say No!

• When you have to say no….

• Call the customer and explain why

• Be open and honest

• Be professional and considerate of customers

• Enhances their view of your organization…even when

they are disappointed by the outcome

Learn How and When to Say No

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Never make a promise to a customer

unless you know you can deliver on it

Above all…

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• Understand your customer

—so you can manage their expectations

• Attitude is everything

• Let’s not forget planning and delivery

• Communicate, communicate, communicate

• Know how and when to say no

• Don’t promise what you can’t deliver

In summary

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Questions?

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Thank You.

Tim Warren

Vice President for Technology Services

San Juan College

warrent@sanjuancollege.edu

http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/documents/ots/tlc2010.ppt