{domain:"www.qualitydigest.com",server:"169.47.211.87"} Skip to main content

User account menu
Main navigation
  • Topics
    • Customer Care
    • FDA Compliance
    • Healthcare
    • Innovation
    • Lean
    • Management
    • Metrology
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
    • Six Sigma
    • Standards
    • Statistics
    • Supply Chain
    • Sustainability
    • Training
  • Videos/Webinars
    • All videos
    • Product Demos
    • Webinars
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Submit B2B Press Release
    • Write for us
  • Metrology Hub
  • Training
  • Subscribe
  • Log in
Mobile Menu
  • Home
  • Topics
    • 3D Metrology-CMSC
    • Customer Care
    • FDA Compliance
    • Healthcare
    • Innovation
    • Lean
    • Management
    • Metrology
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
    • Six Sigma
    • Standards
    • Statistics
    • Supply Chain
    • Sustainability
    • Training
  • Login / Subscribe
  • More...
    • All Features
    • All News
    • All Videos
    • Contact
    • Training

How to Exceed Customer Expectations

A formula for going beyond just “satisfaction”

Jeff Dewar
Mon, 01/07/2013 - 13:34
  • Comment
  • RSS

Social Sharing block

  • Print
  • Add new comment
Body

To begin, let’s use the right words. Instead of just talking about “exceeding expectations” or “customer satisfaction,” try including these in your customer vernacular: Impress. Surprise. Delight. Enchant. Bewitch. And my favorite… dazzle.

ADVERTISEMENT

For example, instead of asking the product packaging team: “How can we exceed our customers’ expectations?”

Rather, run this by them:
“Think of the word ‘dazzle.’ When a customer opens our shipment of widgets, how can we make them pause for three seconds, and with a grin on their face whisper under their breath, ‘Those clever little fellows... brilliant.’ ”

Regis McKenna, Tom Peters, Steven Covey, Ken Blanchard, and many others have spoken eloquently about the utter irrationality and absurdity of customer perceptions. How can two competing companies have such wildly different customer perceptions? Even more bizarrely, how can the company whose performance is slightly weaker than its competitor be viewed more favorably by its customers? Answer: Because it’s not just about the hard metrics of performance; it includes the byzantine web of the customer’s expectations—and how the supplier manages them.

 …

Want to continue?
Log in or create a FREE account.
Enter your username or email address
Enter the password that accompanies your username.
By logging in you agree to receive communication from Quality Digest. Privacy Policy.
Create a FREE account
Forgot My Password

Comments

Submitted by davo@kapro.cn on Mon, 12/23/2013 - 15:22

you had me there for a while

The beginning of your article was great. You brought in the attention of the marketing, sales, as well as production departments - then I think you got carried away with your formulas. This might be intriguing for us Quality people but for the rest of society it just seems drab. Anyway it was still a good article- thanks 

  • Reply

Add new comment

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
Please login to comment.
      

© 2025 Quality Digest. Copyright on content held by Quality Digest or by individual authors. Contact Quality Digest for reprint information.
“Quality Digest" is a trademark owned by Quality Circle Institute Inc.

footer
  • Home
  • Print QD: 1995-2008
  • Print QD: 2008-2009
  • Videos
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write for us
footer second menu
  • Subscribe to Quality Digest
  • About Us
  • Contact Us