In my previous roles, I used to handle a bit of Delivery management. Of course, I know all about projects not being completed on time and the unpleasant situation of handling the customer. They should have given me an Oscar for the reasons I came up with!
On a serious note, what is good customer service? Does it mean you need to deliver 100%, all the time? Does it mean even if a few people get killed, thanks to your unrealistic schedules, you got to deliver? Of course, all the textbooks on delivery emphasize so, they even talk about under-committing and over-delivering.
While there cannot be compromise possibly on deliveries, some studies tell us over 60% of the projects are never completed on time. 60%?? Wow! So does that mean all companies, big or small, go through bad delivery days? Y-e-s! Does this mean, all companies, whether they adopt CMM/PCMM/Prince/PMP methodologies have skipped deadlines? You bet!
So, how does, one really handle this? As I was waiting for my MRT here in Singapore, this poster caught my eye:
What this sign tells us may be true for managing our customers too:
a) While this is certainly an inconvenience for passengers (even more so in peak times), the sign clearly manages our expectations. We got to do the same with customers!
b) It manages expectations, in advance, not AFTER the train arrives and we realize this is not a good way to board the train.
c) Customers (in this case, the general public) do not expect 100% adherence (not all the time), they just want to be warned to enable them to plan their lives!
Good delivery/customer service is not just about doing a darn good job of delivering on the committed dates.
Good service sometimes translates to ensuring your customers know what is coming up and what is not!
It helps them plan their schedules, their lives, their stakeholders better. Infact, customers almost expect delays to happen - they don't want it all, they just want us to tell them in a timely manner so as to make changes to their plans.
Of course, this does not mean we start delaying projects with post-it notes. This only means, in those inevitable delay phases, it is important to prepare customers, give them time to react and offer a plan B.
What are your thoughts?
On a serious note, what is good customer service? Does it mean you need to deliver 100%, all the time? Does it mean even if a few people get killed, thanks to your unrealistic schedules, you got to deliver? Of course, all the textbooks on delivery emphasize so, they even talk about under-committing and over-delivering.
While there cannot be compromise possibly on deliveries, some studies tell us over 60% of the projects are never completed on time. 60%?? Wow! So does that mean all companies, big or small, go through bad delivery days? Y-e-s! Does this mean, all companies, whether they adopt CMM/PCMM/Prince/PMP methodologies have skipped deadlines? You bet!
So, how does, one really handle this? As I was waiting for my MRT here in Singapore, this poster caught my eye:
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| Neat information! |
What this sign tells us may be true for managing our customers too:
a) While this is certainly an inconvenience for passengers (even more so in peak times), the sign clearly manages our expectations. We got to do the same with customers!
b) It manages expectations, in advance, not AFTER the train arrives and we realize this is not a good way to board the train.
c) Customers (in this case, the general public) do not expect 100% adherence (not all the time), they just want to be warned to enable them to plan their lives!
Good delivery/customer service is not just about doing a darn good job of delivering on the committed dates.
Good service sometimes translates to ensuring your customers know what is coming up and what is not!
It helps them plan their schedules, their lives, their stakeholders better. Infact, customers almost expect delays to happen - they don't want it all, they just want us to tell them in a timely manner so as to make changes to their plans.
Of course, this does not mean we start delaying projects with post-it notes. This only means, in those inevitable delay phases, it is important to prepare customers, give them time to react and offer a plan B.
What are your thoughts?
