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Foreword xvii
Preface xix
INTRODUCTION: THE EXPECTATIONS CHALLENGE 1
THE EXPECTATIONS-MANAGING FRAMEWORK 2
Communication 2
Information Gathering 2
Policies and Practices 3
INVOLVING CUSTOMERS 3
FORMULATING AN ACTION PLAN 4
GETTING STARTED 5
TAKING THE CHALLENGE 6
SECTION 1: COMMUNICATION 9
1. GUARD AGAINST CONFLICTING MESSAGES 11
COMMUNICATING CONFLICT 12
Conflict #1: What You Promise vs. What You Do
12
Conflict #2: What You Say You Won't Do vs. What
You Do 14
Conflict #3: What You Imply vs. What You Do
16
Conflict #4: What You Say vs. How You Say It
17
Conflict #5: What You Write vs. What You Mean
19
Conflict #6: What You Say vs. What Else You
Communicate 20
CIRCUMVENTING THE CONFLICT 22
NOTES 22
2. USE JARGON WITH CARE 23
MISCOMMUNICATING WITH TECHNICAL TERMS 24
Muddling Messages 24
Alienating Listeners 25
Speaking Technobabble 26
MISCOMMUNICATING WITH FAMILIAR LANGUAGE 27
Differing Definitions 27
Ambiguous Statements 30
Misguided Labels 32
Code Words 35
MISINTERPRETING CUSTOMERS' LANGUAGE 36
JARGON-CHECKING KEPT IN PERSPECTIVE 37
3. IDENTIFY COMMUNICATION PREFERENCES 38
COMMUNICATING STATUS INFORMATION 39
Nathan's Preference 40
Building a Skyscraper 41
COMMUNICATING IDEAS 42
ACCOMMODATING DIFFERENCES IN PREFERENCES 44
GAINING CONSENSUS AND ACHIEVING BUY-IN 46
A Technique for Building Consensus 47
LEARNING FROM PREFERENCES 48
NOTES 49
4. LISTEN PERSUASIVELY 50
APPEARING NOT TO LISTEN 51
Dividing Your Attention 51
Closing a Conversation 52
Testing Your Tolerance 52
DEMONSTRATING LISTENING 53
Eye Contact 53
Responsive Behavior 54
Moderation 55
LISTENING ACTIVELY 56
Listen Before Drawing Conclusions 56
Listen to Customers' Questions 57
Listen for Statements of Expectations 58
HELPING CUSTOMERS TO LISTEN 58
SPEAKING THE WAY YOU LISTEN 59
OBSERVING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES 60
LEARNING TO LISTEN 61
NOTES 61
SECTION 2: INFORMATION GATHERING 63
5. HELP CUSTOMERS DESCRIBE THEIR NEEDS 65
ANALYSIS WITH FOCAL POINTS 66
Saying That's Not It 66
Missing a Focal Point 68
TECHNIQUES FOR DESCRIBING NEEDS 68
TYPES OF FOCAL POINTS 70
Prototypes as Focal Points 70
Service Requests as Focal Points 71
Bargaining Chips as Focal Points 72
PITFALLS OF FOCAL POINTS 72
THINKING WITH FOCAL POINTS 73
Finding More Focal Points 74
NOTES 75
6. BECOME AN INFORMATION-GATHERING
SKEPTIC 77
LEARN FROM A MODEL SKEPTIC 78
CLARIFY SERVICE REQUESTS 78
CHALLENGE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS 79
ALLOW FOR INACCURACY 82
POSE STRATEGIC QUESTIONS 84
LEARN TO THINK LIKE A SKEPTIC 87
NOTES 88
7. UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMERS' CONTEXT 89
CATEGORIZE THE CONTEXT 89
Consider All Factors 90
Develop Your Own Questions 92
Draw Conclusions from the Responses 93
CASE STUDY: PEAK WORKLOAD 93
Group Brainstorming 96
Unforeseen Interconnections 96
FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER 97
Questioning Strategies 98
Talk-Inducing Topics 99
GATHER INFORMATION REGULARLY 102
NOTES 103
8. TRY THE SOLUTION ON FOR SIZE 104
FINDING THE PERFECT SOLUTION 104
BECOMING IMMERSED IN THE SOLUTION 106
Conduct a Demonstration 107
Facilitate a Solution Review 108
Do a Plus/Minus Exercise 108
Perform a Solution Analysis 110
Analyze What Can Go Wrong 113
Consider Alternative Solutions 114
Create Your Own Techniques 115
REFLECTING ON A JOB COMPLETED 116
A JACKET ANALYSIS 117
NOTES 118
SECTION 3: POLICIES AND PRACTICES 119
9. CLARIFY CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS 121
DIFFERING PERCEPTIONS 122
PERFORMING FOR SATISFACTION 123
DISCUSSING CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS 124
Questions About Perceptions 124
Discussions of Perceptions: Two Examples 125
Anticipate the Consequences of Discussion
127
GAINING FEEDBACK FROM CUSTOMERS 127
Customer Surveys 127
One-on-One Interviews 129
Team Interviews 130
Customer-Led Interviews 130
Group Meetings 131
Your Participation 131
CREATING A SERVICE GUIDE 132
Statement of Benefits 133
Image Enhancement 134
Clarifying Your Own Perceptions 134
EXPLAINING YOUR DECISIONS 135
Why As Well As What 135
Advance Notice 135
Management Rationale 136
INVOLVING CUSTOMERS 136
Acceptance Testing Teams 137
INTERPRETING COMPLAINTS 138
Checkpoint Assessments 139
SAUNAFACTION GUARANTEED 140
NOTES 140
10. SET UNCERTAINTY-MANAGING
SERVICE STANDARDS 142
STANDARDS FOR COMMUNICATING "WHEN"
143
What Your Service Philosophy Communicates
144
What Customers Can Expect 144
What You Expect of Customers 146
CATEGORIES OF STANDARD-SETTING 146
Select the Category You Can Implement 148
Select the Category You Can Support 149
STRATEGIES FOR STANDARD-SETTING 151
Service Targets 151
Exception Standards 151
Incentives 152
Standards Based on Past Performance 153
STANDARDS FOR SERVICES THAT GO AWRY 154
Regular Updates 155
Acknowledgment of Error 156
SOLUTIONS GUARANTEED
(OR PROBLEMS RETURNED) 157
NOTES 157
11. WHEN APPROPRIATE, JUST SAY WHOA 158
SAYING YES AND SAYING NO 158
The Connection Between
Actions and Expectations 159
The Limits of Service Orientation 159
The Path of Least Resistance 161
SAYING WHOA 161
Benefits 162
The Hit-by-a-Bus Test 164
PUTTING WHOA INTO PRACTICE 165
Review Your Department's Request Process
165
Establish Whoa-Based Service Standards 166
Identify Alternative Resources 167
Say Whoa to Your Manager
(When Appropriate, of Course) 168
Specify Who Has Authority
to Accept Customer Requests 170
Identify Services and Activities
That Can Be Cut 171
Develop Scripts That Can
Help You Just Say Whoa 173
SEEKING NO HELP 173
NOTES 174
12. BUILD WIN-WIN RELATIONSHIPS 175
CUSTOMERS AS ALLIES 176
Customer Contact 176
Reputation for Performance 177
TECHNIQUES FOR RELATIONSHIP BUILDING 178
Arrange Department-Specific Meetings 178
Conduct Cross-Functional Exchanges 179
Accept Responsibility for Your Mistakes 181
Remember the Basic Courtesies 182
Confront Negative Relationships 183
Don't Take It Personally 184
RELATIONSHIP PITFALLS 186
Build Relationships with Colleagues 187
ALL'S WELL THAT MENDS WELL 189
NOTES 189
CONCLUSION: FORMULATE AN ACTION PLAN 190
DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN 191
Plan as a Group 191
Assess Your Current Efforts 192
REVIEW THE THREE CENTRAL ISSUES 193
CREATE YOUR STRATEGY 195
Prepare Your Own To-Do List 199
BECOME AN EXPECTATIONS MANAGER 199
Role Responsibilities 199
Personal Action 201
Customer Involvement 202
START ANYWHERE 202
Identifying the Predictable 203
Call Me 204
NOTES 204
Related Reading 205
Index 209
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