Ann-Maree Moodie wants what she expects, and so do we all.
WALKING ALONG THE SHOPPING ARCADES below the main streets of
Sydney early one day, I chanced upon a café. It featured a rare
open courtyard which took advantage of the light coming from the
street above; most striking of all, it had a waterfall. The menu
was extensive and the barista used my favorite coffee beans.
I made a note to come back on a day when I needed a reprieve
from the stresses of living and working in the city and could
benefit from a dose of negative ions.
That day came pretty quickly. So I sought out my little oasis
and found a courtyard table next to the waterfall. I was convinced
this would become my 'regular' when I needed to recharge. Then I
realised that I was surrounded by tables of smokers who were
permitted to light up 'outside'.
I moved to an inside table where the noise level was irritating
and nothing like the peaceful sound of trickling water, and ordered
a flat white and crumpets and honey. The coffee arrived: the milk
was burned and the beans were over-cooked and over-used. Then my
meal arrived: one-and-half crumpets on a plate. The menu didn't
expressively say one, two or one-and-a-half crumpets, but I was
bothered. What had the kitchen done with the other half?
Managing expectations is a tricky science. It's impossible to
understand the nuances of anticipation for every customer, let
alone every potential customer. Once human emotions enter the mix,
there is no end to what one person might expect on any given day,
or even at given moment. Sales managers study body language but
temperaments are another issue altogether.
The best we can do to ensure that we're managing expectations
properly is to do what we say we'll do.
It's a little like being on a first date with a new amour. Much
is invested in your decision to pursue the other person because
you've already decided they are attractive to you for any number of
reasons: good-looks, great sense of humor, and they like
merlot/Thai food/Stieg Larsson just like you.
Within the first hour of your first date, you'll know if you
were right. The good-looking man who made you laugh when you met in
the Starbucks coffee line more than met your expectations over Thai
chicken curry later in the week. But if he turned out to be just a
bloke who can deliver a one-liner but can't maintain a conversation
you'll label him a loser you wasted your time with. A wildly unfair
but common reaction intended to recalibrate the disappointment of
dashed expectations.
Now let's put some dollars into the equation. You walk past a
new store. Your attention is caught because of the way it is
designed, the music that's being played and the merchandising of
the products. You accept the unspoken promise that buying the
clothes and accessories on display will make you feel glamorous.
You pay a visit. But what happens if the sales assistant sends you
to a plywood change room which doubles as a storage area? How do
you feel if she places your purchases in a flimsy plastic bag
rather than a glossy carrier bearing a luxe label?
Managing expectations online is even more dangerous. How does
the company's website make you feel about the company itself? If
you pick up the telephone, or book a meeting with a company
representative, does the human interaction that you experience
match the company's online image?
The culture of Fortune 500 company Proctor and Gamble is built
upon the premise that a customer will always know that the product
is what the company says it is. If this intention was translated
into a pithy mission statement it would probably be: "we will build
our reputation on consistency". And so, when the company
experiences pressure to cut corners or to use cheaper products, it
refuses.
P&G was one of the companies which featured in the iconic
business book Good To Great written by Jim Collins. Collins has now
researched the topical subject of how companies navigate turbulent
times.
"We've found that what really matters is that you have core
values - not what they are," says Collins. "And the more challenged
you are, the more you have to have values. You need to preserve
them consistently over time."
I won't be returning to my waterfall café and maybe that's what
the owner wants. Maybe he's established a handy reputation for
being one of the few city cafés that welcomes smokers. Maybe
smokers spend more money in his café than cheesed-off,
expectation-dashed, non-smoking patrons who order one-and-a-half
crumpets?
That's the thing about expectation management. If you understand
the impact on others of what you do, you can manipulate it to your
own ends. Just don't forget to be consistent about it.