Do You Have an Expectation Rift?

Customer satisfaction is tied to customer expectations. The more your customers' experiences exceed their expectations, the greater their satisfaction. Sounds obvious. Just from your own experience, you can attest to this. So why is it that businesses pay so little attention to customer expectations? Is it that they don't think they can know what customers expect? Or is it that they think exceeding expectations isn't worth a little (sometimes, but not always) extra cost? If they don't know what customers expect, it's easy to find out: Ask! Do a little research, formal or ad hoc.

Amber Naslund points out that, "The danger area - or at least the challenge - is where expectations and experience don’t line up...If there’s a disconnect between the way you see your company and the

way people are talking about you, perhaps you’re in the midst of an

expectation rift. So the choice becomes: shift the expectation, or amend the

experience. Each probably have their place, but I know which way I

lean. How would you handle it?"