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When you hear the words (from any company), "We have
determined that this (whatever) will meet your needs." What
this statement means is this: "We don't have a clue what your
expectations include and this is boilerplate propaganda aimed at taking
your money and giving you a half baked end result that accomplishes none
of your goals".
Don't do it just don't.
I've sat on both sides of the desk in the
customer/telephony relationship. When I hear the words, "We have
determined that this will meet your needs." My reply is something
like this: "So when the customer pushes a button on his home phone, his
coffee maker will start and be ready when he gets to the office."
I ask this ridiculous question very seriously and my angry glare defies
anyone to laugh. I then proceed to give the vendor one chance to
describe the customer expectations before I send them tumbling out the
door in a mass profusion and promises to go back and look things over
again.
It's kinda sad really. The vendors leave learning nothing,
I get labeled with the B word and they never stop babbling enough to
listen to what the customer is saying.
Can you as a vendor tell the customer exactly how your
product and service will make them money? Notice I didn't say
'save' or 'reduce costs'. I said, how does your product help
your customer make more money? If you understand your customers'
operation and goals and products, you will find a way to demonstrate
your product making them more money.
This whole understanding customer expectations concept goes
the extra mile and requires extra thought, preparation and attention.
Very often you may find yourself responding to a customer request for
something that clearly doesn't solve the problem or achieve the desired
goal. Often it comes down to the difference between efficient and
effective. Efficient meaning doing things right. Effective
meaning knowing the right things to do.
Do you believe it your duty to guide a customer on the
right path or is it your policy to deliver the requested product,
install it, collect the bill and move on? This is a very
tough question. For those of you with the goal of cultivating long term
customer relationship, the answer is easy. Yes, help your
customers avoid their own worst enemy... themselves.
Sometimes a customer will have overheard about some great
new technology thing and they don't want to get left behind.
Perhaps they've heard or read that customers better get used to IP
Telephony because they don't have any other options (I actually heard
that said in a Nortel presentation).
Should you always take a customer's money when they are
determined to have a 'voh - ip' which is how one might pronounce VoIP?
They want it because of some advertisement they saw on TV or their buddy
or competitor down the street has one and they have the unfettered funds
to spend?
Absolutely! The customer is always right?
Right?
Always accept new business and work within the framework of your
customers' receptiveness to your attempts to help them make more money.
If all they want is a 'voh -ip' then by all means sell it to them.
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