I’ve worked with many clients. There are some folks with whom I have worked who others are always warning me about how difficult they are to work with. When I tell them I disagree, they tell me something to the effect, “Well. Good luck with that.” “Thank you,” is my typical reply. Many customers are seen as difficult, but I’ve come to find that most “difficult customers” aren’t. Most difficult customers are a byproduct of poor communication or a lack of assertiveness on our part. Poor communication and lack of assertiveness allow the customer to form their own expectations and this is where difficulty begins.
Difficult Customer or Loyal Customer
Back when I still worked in a predominantly engineering role, one customer, who worked for a commercial real estate firm, demanded high expectations, particularly when it came to turnaround time of technical reports. He frequently initiated potential land deals with tight due diligence timelines. When work is weather dependent, bad weather can make those timelines extremely difficult to meet. On one occasion, the field crew was unable to finish sampling until 72 hours prior to the expiration of due diligence. I executed a crash laboratory testing program (much of it performed by me after business hours), completed the report, and hand delivered it to the client the morning before the closing. After walking through the report with him, we identified an area that required additional work prior to development. This led to a substantial discount for my client. He was pleased and became a loyal customer.
Customer Expectations
For the most part, with a few exceptions, customers aren’t difficult. Their expectations may be unreasonable, but that is a potential opportunity. Customers with high expectations should expect to pay high fees. Providing the customer is willing to pay for quality, I will work to satisfy their requirements. It’s a different story when it comes to impossibilities. If something cannot occur, it’s incumbent on the service provider to help manage customer expectations accordingly. It has been my experience that most difficult conversations with customers are a byproduct of poorly managing customer expectations.
Too often we try to blame others for our own failings. We excuse ourselves and characterize other people as more volatile or unreasonable. The reality is that when a customer senses a violation of their expectations, they experience a sense of betrayal. Betrayal destroys an atmosphere of trust and makes quality relationships impossible. This is our fault. With rare exceptions, the problem is that we aren’t communicating enough or that we aren’t communicating the right things to keep the client informed about the situation, the rigors of a dynamic environment, or the reasonableness of project requirements.
Let us strive to move customers from difficult to delighted.
