Blog / Industry News

What do you expect? What do you expect from the carriers you work with? What do you expect from your agents?

Expectations are the measuring sticks we use in our daily communications in work, in our personal lives, in all we do. The human brain bases its expectation on history. However, we rarely have enough data to guess correctly. When expectations are not discussed openly, which is most common, the relationship suffers. We can easily fall from grace in our customer’s eyes without even knowing why. As telecom agents, our ability to set and meet expectations, as well as hold the carriers to the expectations they set, plays a key role in our well being and financial success.

We have all heard the phrase “under-promise and over deliver.” As I read through today’s 200-plus e-mails in my inbox, I can see that no expectations are tied to the tasks or they are so vague they might as well not be there at all.  Phrases, such as “I’ll get back to you” or “I’ll let you know when I receive the information,” represent typical language without any associated measurable expectation.

When our organization works with carriers, we insist on setting specific, realistic expectations. Unfortunately, we are often met with resistance and sometimes hostility. A question that begins with the word “when” is one of the most challenging. The carrier hears the word “when” and assumes we are in a hurry and we are rushing them. It is somehow implied, but it is rarely the case. When we know “when,” we are able to better plan, organize and set expectations for our clients.

Once upon a time, the words “customer service” held great meaning for both the business and the customer. Instinctively we knew that those two words were part of a key strategy that the owners of the business valued and stood behind. Unfortunately over the years the meaning has been so diluted that it has become almost an empty phrase that rarely inspires.

The very definition of the words “to serve” communicates the need to listen, respond timely and satisfy.  Excellent customer service means reacting well.

Some clever marketing executives in an attempt to breathe new life into an old concept changed the words to “customer care,” but the customer’s experience remained the same.

Before writing this blog, I reviewed 50 websites from the Channel Partner Network on LinkedIn.  Maybe I did not search long or hard enough, but all of them touted their superior “customer service” and none of them explained what made their support unique and how it differed from their competition.

In our dynamic industry we have one hand grasping at new technologies and the other hand grasping at new sales. What resources will we devote to our exiting customer when there are no hands left?