Service organizations that have the perception of ‘service quality’ as ‘delighting the customers’ commonly believe in exceeding customer expectations. For this, they focus on eliminating any unpleasant experience with the service and developing positive service outcomes.
The following three strategies can be used to exceed customer expectations:
Customer Relationship
Developing customer relationships is the first strategy for exceeding customer expectations.
Service organizations need to mutually cooperate with the customers so as to help them identify their problems or requirements and then provide their solutions.
For example, at the time of service, the service in charge of the garage may expose some hidden or unexpected problems in the bike of the customer, thus it helps in adding value to the relationships with customers.
Under-Promise the Service
Another way of going beyond the customer expectation level is under-promising the services so that they apparently exceed the expectation levels of the customers.
The secret strategy here is the ‘under-promising and over-delivering’. If every time the promises are less and more efficient service is offered, it results in delighted customers.
Though, this strategy seems to be logical, yet, there are two potential issues, which need to be given due weightage, prior to using it, these are as follows:
- When the service organizations repeatedly follow the under-promise strategy, the regular customers get familiar with the company’s under-promising strategy and accordingly change their expectations. Thus, delight benefit cannot be achieved anymore.
- Under-promising can also apparently reduce the competence of the organization and the potential customers might be allured towards others who are offering better options.
In the era of cut-throat competition, it is quite logical to portray the true picture without exaggeration or underestimation. Hence the best approach will be consistently maintaining the committed service promises.
Unusual Service as Unique
The ultimate way to exceed the customers’ expectations is by devising distinctive and rare services which are different from the standard ones. These services struck customers as a pleasant surprise.