Analyzing the difference between reality and ‘supposed’ reality is essential for corporate development.
According to a recent survey of 362 businesses by Bain & Company, there was an astonishing difference of 72% between the companies’ perspectives and the customers’ experience of service delivery.
Based on this, we can easily conclude a logical evaluation that even though businesses have been putting in the effort, it isn’t proving to be worth it.
However, the ‘delivery gap’ can be filled if the root causes are investigated. After all, 8% of companies aren’t run by aliens.
The Thin Line Between What You Assume and What They Expect
Companies tend to assume the utility demands based on general human psychology and the convenience of the corporation. Yet, people can have surprisingly different demands which support their ease and atmosphere to the best.
Arby’s employee Pearl Weaver’s job is to make people feel welcome. She offers warm felicitations to every customer upon their arrival and waves her colorful pompoms. Even though she’s lucky enough to be mentioned weekly in customer satisfaction surveys and she has won several awards for her customer service; she could have ended up with the libels of being the annoying one around the store.
Thus, their demands and your supplies need to go hand in hand for an incredible customer satisfaction rate.
Symbiotic Mesh of the Business Ecosystem
Businesses can’t work in a silo system these days. The departments, namely research and development, production, supply chain, marketing, quality management, sales, and services have to maintain a mutually connected relationship for effective transfer of customer feedback towards the department responsible to manage it. Incorporating customer centricity at all levels is the key to maximizing customer satisfaction.
Steven Levitt, New York Times best-selling author wrote an article about how United Airlines turned him into a loyal customer for life. Once, his flight got delayed while he had already reached the airport. They impressed him by booking another flight earlier than the previous one for him and then, asked for his consent. Such an immediate service execution was only possible through the disciplined interconnection of the sales, service, technical and quality management departments.
Are Your Propositions the Same as Your Commitments?
How would you react if you didn’t get paid for your services? Customers feel even worse if they don’t get their required services (or the desired quality) for their cash. If you promise them a fresh-out-of-the-oven steak, you are obliged to serve it sizzling. It is much more ethical to deliver what you commit than provide them with false delusions.
Often, companies choose to make exceptions to highlight their efforts in taking care of their customers without reservations. In Pennsylvania, during the Christmas snow, a daughter was locked in her home with her father, without food. She called Trader Joe’s only to discover they don’t deliver. However, reconsidering the situation, they made an exception and not only delivered the eatables rather delivered them free of cost!
Interlinking the Financial Value to the Customer Value
Yes, what would make customers incredibly content would be free services or free coupons to entertainment venues. But, customer service is a part of a larger picture and even though, it is considered the core element in a business, it doesn’t have to put the company’s finances in distress. On the contrary, spending to improve customer relationships is worth it if done after critically analyzing the formula:
Money Spent on Improving Customer Relationships < Money Generated After Service Delivery
At JetBlue, a People’s Officer gave out free tickets in mid-flight if they answered all the questions of a trivia game correctly. This way, in return for one free ticket, they experienced the quality of services and chose JetBlue for their future travels. Overall, the company gained profit.
Thus, accepting that the ‘delivery gap’ exists isn’t all. The proposed steps, which analyze the possible cause of the cavity and then, work out solutions to reduce the gap, are indispensable.
Learn how Wavetec Customer Experience Solutions can help you uncover delivery gaps in your service. Schedule a call with our consultant today!
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