CHAPTER 14
What Is Your Customer Guarantee?
What is the guarantee that your business offers to your Customers? Whether expressly written or not, your Customers have an expectation of your company and in their mind, that is a guarantee. Sometimes that guarantee is dictated by the industry that you are in. The cable industry at the time may have looked to Customers something like this:
- Rates will go up as much as possible.
- Your call will be ignored.
- A tech visit will be between 12 and 12.
- There is nothing you can do about it because you are stuck with us.
I say that all facetiously, but in reality the perceptions about your brand drive what people assume are how you stand. When you read all the negative commentary you could come to the same conclusion. You can pick out numerous examples, like the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). I would guess that their guarantee might look something like this:
- Spend all day in line.
- Fill out lots of paperwork.
- Get sent out of line to later return.
I am sure that we could do a whole comedy routine on what brands or industries supposedly stand for. In some ways it would be funny, but at the same time it would be sad because there is always some basis in reality to it. Perceptions are realities to the person who has them. What are your Customers’ perceptions?
Many brands have difficulty because their own marketing and PR messages do not always match the business realities of the Customer experience. These differing messages are part of what ...
