| 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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