The Baer Facts Issue 89: How to Manage Expectations and Create Customer Confidence

How to Manage Expectations and Create Customer Confidence

In my research for The Time to Win book, I discovered an important nugget about the psychology of today's customers:

They hate to wait. But what they hate second-most is to be under-informed.

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We live in an era where information (and corresponding certainty) envelops us. We had a foot of snow last night, and the app on my phone correctly told me to the HUNDREDTH of an inch how much would fall within a distance of 9 FEET of my house.?

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As my wife said, in the days pre-forecast I guess they just got a huge surprise and had to eat the pets, eventually.?

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You may have heard me talk on stage about my pandemic-era experience buying a custom sofa online. At checkout, the website told me to expect 8 weeks for delivery. On week 15? nothing. nada. zilch. Not an email, text message, voice mail. Bupkus.?

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This was.....disconcerting.

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Major purchase. No contact. COVID times.?

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I was as anxiety-ridden as a New York Jets season ticket salesman.?

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Eventually, after many attempts using every communication modality in existence, I found a live body who informed me sofas were now taking 15 weeks. THANKS for the heads up!!

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This is not the way to do it.?

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My rule is this: if it feels to YOU like you are over-communicating, you are probably communicating to your customers just the right amount. Because they are not reading every word you send, or every phrase you utter. But they still desperately want to know WHAT. IS. GOING. ON?

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Here's how to do it the right way...to manage customer expectations so well that even a delay turns into a win, creating even more confidence in your products and services.?

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Homefield Gets It

In October, I bought a reproduction of coach Lee Corso's famous 1979 Indiana sweater from Homefield, the terrific throwback team apparel company founded by an Indiana University grad.?

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It's now January. Which seems like a bit of a gap to send me a sweater, no?

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But Homefield is nothing if not meticulously accurate, historically.?

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Every four weeks they send me a comprehensive email update discussing the progress of the project, and what they are doing to get it perfect.?

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I had far less detailed play-by-play when I bought a new-build home in 1993. I am not exaggerating.?

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One of the big decisions on this sweater? What color to make it? The 1979 Hoosiers had a much brighter crimson than today's version. How to strike the balance??

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From the December 19 email update:

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After several rounds of fabric dying, we found the perfect, rich crimson with just the right pop...Then came finalizing the double-layer twill applique lettering and tri-stripe ribbing.

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We had spirited discussions here at Homefield HQ, closely scrutinizing each sample. Size the letters up? Tweak the ribbing by a centimeter? Are the spacing and arch just right??

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Our team pored over every detail, because no detail on this sweater is too small, and this latest sample meets our standards.?

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Wow! I feel like I am on a journey. I feel like I am somehow a participant in this sweater endeavor, even though my contribution was solely to pick a size and plunk down my Visa.

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It's been MONTHS and I don't even care. I cannot wait to get this sweater. I'll add a picture of it in a future edition of The Baer Facts.

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All of us have this opportunity in our organizations: to bring the customer along for the ride, while also managing expectations.?

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It's why behind-the-scenes content performs so well. Those operational details may be boring to you - because you do it every day - but it's FASCINATING to customers.?

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Which is why I gave you a link to my new speaking demo reel at the top of this newsletter!?