Managing expectations is the silver bullet to CX

• Customer experience is at its best when people get done what they need getting done without stress and anxiety
• Managing expectations is the key to delivering a great CX because it reduces anxiety and effort
• A roadmap to managing customer expectations will help companies deliver a better experience (5 easy steps)

CX Mumbo JumboPeople need to get shit done (a less nice but maybe more pragmatic rephrasing of Jobs To Be Done) and that often involves buying stuff and procuring services. Businesses are in the business of helping people get shit done so customer centricity and customer experience have become a buzzword for brands. Businesses strive to delight customers, address needs, deliver empathy-driven experiences and the list goes on. In achieving these goals we get everything from free cookies and chocolates in shops to the deployment of the latest AI-enabled customer service agents.

Just Manage Expectations because cookies and chatbots will not move the needle

• People need to get from point A to point B for something (e.g. a meeting)
• People need to hail a cab to get somewhere to get something done
• People need to get a loan for some need or dream and that comes with a lot of other stuff attached to it
• People need to order food to satisfy hunger and entertain friends
• People need to buy something and get it in their hands
• People need something installed, and fixed because other stuff can’t get done without it

People need to get shit done so that other shit gets done.

During the process of this, they need:

• a pretty good picture of how things will get done
• to know when they will get done
• get an idea of how it’s all progressing
• a heads up on progress and delays and what you will do about it
• alternatives when it’s not getting done

Because during the process of getting stuff done, people are making adjacent plans.

• If someone is waiting for a loan for a home to go through they need to plan when possible renovations are being done, when to ship the furniture, and when to find a new school for the kids.
• If someone is waiting for a repairman, they might need to pop in on an extended Zoom meeting with a client, rearrange the kids’ pick-up from school, or pop over to the nearby supermarket.
• When you’re driving to get to a destination, you don’t care about the distance, you care about the time so you can plan on potentially not stopping for a bite, getting the kids out of the car for a pee, calling a client that you might be late for an important meeting.

Getting stuff done always comes with ‘adjacent stuff to be done’. So when your customer is waiting for a purchase, waiting for service or repairs, waiting for food or a cab, there’s a ripple effect where one thing affects all others.

Not managing expectations leads to unknowns, unknowns lead to anxiety, anxiety leads to anger and disappointment, anger and disappointment lead to lots of head shaking and eye-rolling, these lead to a bad memory, this leads to being open to alternatives next time and customers open to alternatives result in vulnerability and potential revenue loss due to switching. QED.

Prescription for a good CX

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