In a prior post, I mentioned that our son entered the U.S. Naval Academy (#NavalAcademy) this year as a Midshipman in the Class of 2018. Being the proud parents we are, it became mandatory that we adorn our home and everything we own with some symbol of this grand achievement.
I have been known to take things "overboard" at times (note the subtle nautical term reference :-)). While I am sure it is just a matter of time, I have restrained myself thus far in acquiring a mountain of items that scream "Go Navy!". To date I have the mandatory hat, t-shirt, polo shirt and logo golf ball; however, I could not take a break in my buying spree until I acquired a United States Naval Academy license plate frame for our car.
After conducting the necessary due diligence to ensure I secured just the right frame, I decided to order online from CafePress (@cafepress).
I had not dealt with this company before and therefore did not have any first hand experience concerning the extent to which they actually met customer expectations. The CafePress website and video presentations about their team were attractive and user-friendly. The online customer reviews were also positive. I decided to take the plunge and submitted my order.
During the ordering process, I was informed the delivery interval would be 11 to 12 calendar days from the date of order; unless, of course, I wanted to pay for faster delivery. Emotionally, I was in a "must have now" mental state and really wanted that plate yesterday; however, financial logic prevailed and I decided to wait the 11-12 day interval.
To my surprise and delight, the frame actually reached my doorsteps several days after my order date versus the 11-12 that had been promised. I promptly tore open the packaging and rushed to place my new symbol of Naval Academy pride on our car.
Soon after receiving the frame, CafePress sent an online survey request. Given my passion for the customer service arena, I began to assess why I felt so compelled and actually "obligated" to complete their survey. I came away with several thoughts. I offer them for consideration as we all seek to better bond with and support our customers.
All Customers Are Emotionally Invested.This was an emotional and very personal purchase for me. Anything CafePress did to impact the basic expectations they set would be amplified due to my emotional investment. In this case, CafePress exceeded my expectations and thus garnered even more goodwill than they might have if they just met my expectations. Conversely, had CafePress dropped the ball and delivered late, I am sure they truly would not have liked the emotional story I had to tell.
While my purchase was extremely personal due to the link to my son, any customer we serve, regardless of transaction type, has some degree of emotional investment in the exchange. Even if an employee was charged by their management to purchase an item for which the employee has absolutely no personal interest or use, the fact that they must satisfactorily meet their management's expectations injects a level of emotional investment on the employee's behalf. Customer service is indeed a very personal thing.
Exceed Expectations and Customers Will Not Care What's Behind The Curtain.I am sure CafePress strategically and operationally set my expectations. I am sure internally they knew delivery would occur earlier than was presented to me during the online ordering process. I am also sure their cost and pricing models reflect due consideration for this "earlier than customer expects" delivery approach. The bottom line is that I don't really care. My expectations were set and I emotionally came to terms with and accepted the delivery interval initially presented. Since they exceeded what I expected, I don't care what is happening within their business. If they had let me down, I would feel justified questioning how they operate.
Exceeding Expectations Can Sometimes Cover Your Imperfections.An interesting thing about the license plate frame I received is that it had a very minor cosmetic issue. I personally addressed it and one cannot tell there was ever an issue. If I had received the frame after the promised delivery interval, I would have definitely sent the frame back to CafePress. There is also a high likelihood I would have returned it if CafePress had delivered within the standard 11 to 12 days; however, due to my level of emotional investment and the fact they delivered much earlier than expected, I gave them a break and decided to go with the product as delivered.
There will be times when the services we deliver to customers are imperfect in some manner. While not always the case, there will be many times when exceeding the customer's expectations in one facet or another will compensate for, or at least mitigate, the negative business impacts resulting from an imperfect service delivery.
Fair Warning: Exceeding Expectations Can Set A New Normal. Can You Be Consistent?Now that CafePress has impressed me, I will order from them again should a need arise. Beside the revenue from my initial purchase, my future business is the other positive outcome for their company. The flip side is that the expectation bar has been raised. Even though I might again accept a standard ordering interval, on a more subconscious level I will be looking for my package to arrive early....just like the first time. CafePress will retain my business and ongoing referrals if they are consistent in delivering the customer experience I have enjoyed. Consistency is the key. The CafePress operating model, as well as the operating model for any organization seeking to deliver exceptional customer experiences, must be structured to consistently meet the expectation level customers view as attainable.
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