Help Meeting People’s Expectations | ADHD Information

I thought I would share something I learned in a Customer Service class I just took. Part of the class was called "Managing Customer Expectations". This doesn't necessarilly mean you have to be in a sales position but it applies to whenever someone expects something from you.

First I'll start with a scenario to help you understand. If you order something, anything, there is always a time frame when something will be delivered. For this example we'll use 2-3 weeks.

Now when the first two weeks go by you begin to expect your delivery. For the people that I've proposed this situation to if the package doesn't come until the beginning of the 3rd week they are a bit upset. They don't necessarily call and complain but they may not order again from that company.

Now let's take the same situation except that the company tells you that your order will come in 3 weeks (not the 2-3 week range). Now when you receive the order at the beginning of the 3rd week how do you feel? Not as upset? Well most people don't. Now the last question is how do you feel if you receive the order at the beginning or during the 2nd week?

My point is that if someone asks you when you will have something done don't give them a range. Give them a worse case scenario. This way they won't begin to expect it and if you get it to them earlier great. If not it will still be on time. A little psychological trick I guess.

Just an idea that I thought might help some. newpotato38615.211712963

Wow - good advice!

We here tend to do that ALL the time - give the honest low-estimate rather than hedge for disaster.  At least I always used to ! 

When I owned my own computer corporation I tended to be overly optimistic all the time - using terms from "1 week tops!" to "really quick" rather than use whatever the company mailing to me gave as "worst case".  Often things would screw up without being my fault - but the customer comes in when I estimated and it's not there - leading to disappointments, yelling/cursing and at worst lost contracts or purchases.  Always sad and I NEVER learned my lesson!  Bad ADHD'er!

Very good advice indeed!  Many hopefully can take this advice - it works for almost everything we do!  Even simple stuff like meeting people for a coffee or returning a book or video we could do with rounding UP on estimates rather than thinking all will work out as fast as fast can be.

You have learned the way I usually do as well - often the advice for one part of life doesn't work there as well as in other places!  For example the only part of my time management classes I remember from university is what my mentor said about altering behavior - that the pain of change must be greater than the pain of staying where you are.  Useless in my university life but became what I needed years from then and in everything but education!

Kudos to you - keep the good advice coming!

 

- Glen