Striving for Customer/Client Delight
12/16/2020
Are your customers and clients delighted with your services, or just satisfied? Let’s consider the differences.
There is an HVAC provider in central Texas who services many of the big-box stores in that hot, steamy climate. In their area, if the AC goes out in one of their client’s stores, people won’t stay long or will simply go to a competitor’s store.
When this service provider was reviewing their vision statement a couple years ago, they wanted to emphasize to their clients how important it was to solve their problem quickly so they would not have any interruption in business or discomfort for customers.
Their revised vision statement reads, “We want our customers to be so delighted with our service that when we leave, they were glad their AC went out because they got to see us again!”
That’s a sincere desire to provide customer delight.
Frankly, “Client Satisfaction” is a basic standard of performance and some would say it is simply not good enough. We want our clients to be delighted with our services and believe that no one else can deliver our level of performance.
Here are common experiences of “Satisfied Clients”:
Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Now let’s consider what a “Delighted Client” experiences:
We all remember a time when a vendor or service provider delighted us by going above and beyond what we expected, made our day, or solved our problem much faster than we thought possible.
How do you deliver that level of delight for your clients?
Don Tyler
Tyler & Associates
These opinions and commentary are Don Tyler’s own. They are not necessarily those of ASAC or its members.
Are your customers and clients delighted with your services, or just satisfied? Let’s consider the differences.
There is an HVAC provider in central Texas who services many of the big-box stores in that hot, steamy climate. In their area, if the AC goes out in one of their client’s stores, people won’t stay long or will simply go to a competitor’s store.
When this service provider was reviewing their vision statement a couple years ago, they wanted to emphasize to their clients how important it was to solve their problem quickly so they would not have any interruption in business or discomfort for customers.
Their revised vision statement reads, “We want our customers to be so delighted with our service that when we leave, they were glad their AC went out because they got to see us again!”
That’s a sincere desire to provide customer delight.
Frankly, “Client Satisfaction” is a basic standard of performance and some would say it is simply not good enough. We want our clients to be delighted with our services and believe that no one else can deliver our level of performance.
Here are common experiences of “Satisfied Clients”:
- Their invoice question was addressed to their preference, after the client pointed out your error.
- Your services are provided on time, most of the time.
- Your client’s questions are generally answered in a timely manner, and any extra work requested is done willingly.
Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Now let’s consider what a “Delighted Client” experiences:
- Errors on invoices are extremely rare, but when they do happen you make sure that the solution is immediate, apologetic and specific.
- Services are always delivered on time, complete and accurate, and there is no question as to the quality and viability of what you delivered.
- They never hear any negative comment from any of your staff members or other clients of yours that they may know personally.
- They have complete trust in you personally, and what you say you will provide.
- They cannot think of anything they can criticize in your services, strategy, business philosophy, personal ethics, staff interactions or company culture.
We all remember a time when a vendor or service provider delighted us by going above and beyond what we expected, made our day, or solved our problem much faster than we thought possible.
How do you deliver that level of delight for your clients?
Don Tyler
Tyler & Associates
These opinions and commentary are Don Tyler’s own. They are not necessarily those of ASAC or its members.
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