Managing Customer Expectations Managing Customer Expectations Tim Warren Vice President for Technology Services San Juan College 2010 Technology Leadership Conference

2 San Juan College Introduction Discuss the strategies used to align technology with the core business of the institution. Managing customer expectations requires IT to create and maintain credibility by: listening to the needs of the customer and planning accordingly explaining our services in their terms and not in the terms of the technology department communication, communication, communication and execution.

3 San Juan College Agenda Customers Expectations Customer Service Paradox Customer Satisfaction Equation Customer Perceived Value (CPV) Steps to Improve Understand Customer Understand Expectations Attitude Planning Delivery Communication Summary

4 San Juan College What defines a customer?

5 San Juan College A customer is… Someone who seeks out or pays for goods or services Someone who uses or receives goods or services Someone who is a stakeholder or has a business relationship with an organization A purchaser, organization, or consumer after the sale Someone who receives valuable information and assistance

6 San Juan College What are customer expectations?

7 San Juan College A belief centered on the future, which may or may not be realistic A confident belief or strong hope that a particular event will happen A standard of conduct or performance expected by or of somebody An expectation is…

8 San Juan College A promised cluster of benefits Customer comparison of perceived vs. expected benefits Evaluation of benefits vs. costs Bundle of benefits – economics, functional, and psychological Customer expectations are…

9 San Juan College Grow, shrink, and change shape and dire ction Expectations…

10 San Juan College The difference between what customers WANT And what they have learned they are going to RECEIVE The Customer Service Paradox

11 San Juan College Customer expectations are formed from customer experiences What customers want is usually different than what they expect Providing customer service has become more challenging The Customer Service Paradox

12 San Juan College Y our Performance Customer Satisfaction = ______________ Customer Expectations The Customer Satisfaction Equation

13 San Juan College Demonstrate maximization of value Verify bundle of benefits Out perform perceived alternatives Customer Perceived Value (CPV)

14 San Juan College Customers remix

15 San Juan College The most important person in any business Not dependent on us rather we are dependent on them Is not an interruption of our work Is part of our business Deserves the most courteous attention we can give them Lets look at customers from a different viewpoint.

16 San Juan College Reliability – providing services as promised Responsiveness – prompt and helpful Assurance – knowledgeable & trustworthy Empathy – individual attention & caring Tangibles – modern equipment, professional looking employees Five determinants of service quality

17 San Juan College Avoid the gap between customer expectations and perceptions Always strive to…

18 San Juan College Steps to improve

19 San Juan College Surveys, surveys, surveys Focus groups MBWA Listen Understand Customer Expectations

20 San Juan College Dont wait for complaints to come to you Anticipate needs and set realistic expectations through customer education and communications Watch for changes Educate your customers on what they can expect Manage Customer Expectations

21 San Juan College IT people consider themselves technologists instead of service providers Keep commitments Tims Rule of Clumping Attitude

22 San Juan College Anticipate your customers next move Understand your business and your industry Through planning you can meet your customer expectations and become strategically valuable to your business Planning

23 San Juan College The customer needs to know about your progress on their problems, what you will deliver, and what you need from them and when you expect to deliver Dont confuse customer contact with communication Customers tend to define their needs in terms of what they dont like instead of what they like Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

24 Summary: Network Services will be performing updates and system maintenance on all servers this Friday, December 4, 2009, from 5:30PM to 12:00 midnight, we will be updating all servers except those listed in the Not Affected Services section of this . We will attempt to minimize downtime in the areas as much as possible. In most cases, servers will only be unavailable for five to ten minutes each. Your Actions: None Not Affected Services: None Help: If you have any questions regarding this, please call the Help Desk at We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we appreciate your patience. Session ID 0237

25 Summary: The server was rebooted and services have been restored. Your Actions: Please let the Help Desk know if you are still experiencing difficulty. Affected Services: Some services for users. Help: If you have any questions regarding this, please call the Help Desk at We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we appreciate your patience. Thank You, Help Desk Office of Technology Services Session ID 0237

26 San Juan College You have to deliver results when promised And attend to the process Because excelling in the technical element alone will not improve expectations Deliver

27 San Juan College Who can really say No! When you have to say no…. Call the customer and explain why Be open and honest Be professional and considerate of customers Enhances their view of your organization…even when they are disappointed by the outcome Learn How and When to Say No

28 San Juan College Never make a promise to a customer unless you know you can deliver on it Above all…

29 San Juan College Understand your customer so you can manage their expectations Attitude is everything Lets not forget planning and delivery Communicate, communicate, communicate Know how and when to say no Dont promise what you cant deliver In summary

30 San Juan College Questions?

31 San Juan College Thank You. Tim Warren Vice President for Technology Services San Juan College