Unmet Expectations

If there was a single frustration that managers face on a regular basis, it is that clients don’t submit their information for projects in a timely manner. As a result, projects are delayed, schedules are compressed and budgets are blown. And no one is happy because everyone experiences unmet expectations.

And yet, too often, managers may contribute to the frustration they experience. In the name of client service, being flexible and understanding client situations, they inadvertently create the mess they dislike.

Know Expectations

One of the four principles to create a distinctive client experience is to know and meet their expectations. Your clients have expectations about everything, whether you ask about them or not. Sometimes they don’t even know what they are until they aren’t met, then it becomes clear that they have them.

Just because your clients have expectations, it doesn’t mean that you must agree to them. If they are unreasonable or you are unable to meet them, negotiate a better arrangement that both of you can live with. Only then are on the hook to meet them.

Examples of Expectations

Following the Distinctive Client Experience training in the Partner-Pipeline®, our follow up coaching calls allow us to hear how managers are using what they learned. Here are some of their responses.

I’m having fee discussions with clients now. I’m writing out what to say and will start asking more questions to understand their side.

I’m having awkward conversations about higher fees with merged clients and setting new expectations.

Setting expectations with clients up front has been huge. My goal this year is to move from processing information to implementing at a system level: setup, timelines, organization, structure, schedule.

We just had a senior manager leave the firm, so there is a lot of client transition. I found out that some clients were not happy with a new team, so I’m resetting expectations going forward.

I haven’t used the skills yet, but I will ask about expectations during preliminary meetings.

I totally have put those skills into practice. I used to allow clients to drop the ball and then I took responsibility for it. Now I keep after them for information to be fair to us. Also, staying within scope in years past has been a problem, so I’m clarifying the project’s boundaries.

I have to say that I was encouraged by the resolve the managers had in knowing, negotiating and meeting expectations. They, their staff and their clients will all benefit from this approach.

Your Expectations

How about you? Are you being nudged to know and meet your clients’ expectations in a deeper way? Are you willing to have upfront discussions about your expectations and asking the about theirs? Because everyone has expectations.