Balancing Business andCustomer Expectations

6-2 Discussion: Balancing Business andCustomer Expectations

Customers are at the center of every company, and therefore it is important for businesses to beinfluenced by customer requests and pushes for different products, product features, orservices. But customers frequently do not consider people, planet, and profit when makingrequests. In this discussion, you will consider how businesses can influence their customers toconsider ethical approaches to people, planet, and profit.

In your initial discussion post, address the following questions:

● What are the positive and negative impacts of the “Amazon effect” for customers?● As ethical concerns regarding business practices such as poor employee treatment,

negative environmental impacts of production, and decreasing use of local storefrontsare recognized, how much, if any, of the responsibility of these unethical practices fall tothe customers, and how much, if any, falls to businesses?

● Write a post of 2 to 3 paragraphs.

Balancing Business andCustomer Expectations

Introduction

There’s no denying it: Customers can be frustrating. They expect you to deliver something that’s not in line with your business goals, and there’s really nothing you can do about it. But if you understand how expectations work and how they change over time, then you’ll be able to negotiate effectively with your customers and avoid any potential disappointments along the way.

Customer expectations are never the same as your business goals.

Customer expectations are never the same as your business goals.

• Customer expectations are always changing
• They’re based on their own experiences, not yours
• They look at other people’s businesses and marketing, and copy them (or don’t)

You have to communicate with your customers before they’re in an emotional state.

• Communicate with your customers before they’re in an emotional state.
• Be able to understand what your customers want and need.
• Communicate with them in a way that they can understand.

Expectations rise and fall over time.

Expectations are a tricky thing to manage. Customers’ expectations change over time and you can’t expect them to stay the same forever. Some of these changes may be dramatic, but others may be more subtle.

Here are some examples:

• Customers will expect faster service than they used to get when your company was smaller or less established.
• A customer who once paid $100 per hour might now ask for $200 because they want better service than what they were getting before (and perhaps want to put it on their credit card).

Customers change their minds about what they want or need.

Customers change their minds about what they want or need.

Customers are more likely to change their minds about what they want or need if they have a problem with their product or service. They may decide that it’s not worth paying for something for which there is no longer a need, but if you offer them a new and improved version of the same thing, then this could be an opportunity for your business.

You don’t want to disappoint your customers, but be prepared for some surprises along the way

You can’t always predict what your customers will want. And if you’re lucky, you won’t have to—but in the world of business, things change quickly. As a result, you have to be flexible and adaptable as well.

It’s important not only to anticipate customer needs but also be prepared for some surprises along the way. That means anticipating what they may need or want before they even realize it themselves (or before they tell their friends). It also means being willing to improvise when something goes wrong—and having backup plans ready in case things do go off course at any point during your project timeline or delivery process.

Conclusion

You can’t be in business without a customer base, but you also need to be prepared for the unexpected. The best way to do this is to build rapport with your customers and understand what they want from you. It’s important that you listen closely so that when people change their minds or have different expectations than expected at first, there aren’t any surprises along the way!