--- title: "Manage Customer Expectations by Building Trust" url: https://burnaze.com/article/04d293db-c93e-4d4b-aa72-8383a32b0588 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/manage_customer_expectations_by_building_trust.html author: "Jeff Mowatt" category: "General" published: 2024-01-16T08:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T20:01:48.719Z image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/8246_plate.jpg --- # Manage Customer Expectations by Building Trust **TL;DR:** A customer service expert discusses the importance of building trust with customers and managing their expectations. The expert provides six ways to manage customer expectations, including opting for trust over people-pleasing and aiming to exceed expectations. *By Jeff Mowatt, originally published in Franchising.com on 2024-01-16. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/manage_customer_expectations_by_building_trust.html).* ## Story Are you noticing how customers are becoming more demanding? When managers bring me in to deliver customer service training for their teams, one of the most frequent concerns they share is how customers seem to be angrier, more frustrated, and more rushed than ever. But is that really true? My experience over the 30-plus years I’ve been speaking and training on the topic, is that customers aren’t necessarily grumpier. It’s that they occasionally receive service that’s faster than expected, like Amazon’s overnight delivery. And they’re also doing business with organizations like Uber that report, in real time, the driver’s location and exactly when they’ll arrive. So customers aren’t necessarily grumpier; their service expectations are higher. The good news for managers and frontline staff is that we don’t necessarily need to speed up our service, especially when there are staffing shortages and supply chain issues. We just need to improve the way we manage customer expectations. Here are six easy ways to make that happen. 1) Opt for trust over people-pleasing No one likes dealing with aggressive customers. To avoid confrontations, frontline staff may simply give in and tell customers what they want to hear. Or employees appease customers with commitments like, “I’ll try” or “I’ll do my best.” The problem is that customers interpret those remarks as promises. And when those promises aren’t fulfilled, trust is lost. That’s why, in our customer service training sessions, team members learn that they can build more trust with customers by saying No and setting realistic timelines than by being wishy-washy about commitments. 2) Mention typical industry timelines Interior designers ordering custom furniture are quick to remind clients about 12-week turnaround times. Factory-ordered vehicles generally have months-long wait times. So share your industry average delivery times, along with any steps your organization takes to beat that average. 3) Tell, don’t ask A common reaction when a customer or co-worker asks you to complete a task is to ask, “When do you need that completed?” Often, asking that question tells the person that you plan on putting it off as long as possible. Not good. So don’t ask customers or co-workers for their timelines. Instead, proactively offer yours: “I’m on it, and I’ll have it all ready for you by end of business on Thursday.” 4) Sound cheerful, not grudging The tone of our communications has a surprisingly large influence on customer perception. For example: Rather than saying, “I’ll *have* to check our inventory and get back to you,” instead say, “I’ll be *happy* to check our inventory and get back to you.” Rather than saying, “We *won’t* be able to get a service person there until Wednesday,” instead say, “We can have a service person there *as soon as* Wednesday.” Choosing positive wording over negative wording helps customers become less frustrated and more cooperative. 5) Aim to exceed expectations When things go wrong and we do dmess up on delivery times, we of course need to fix the problem, and more importantly, fix the *relationship*. It’s not enough to finally give the customer what they should have received in the first place. We also need to address their frustration and the hassle factor. In some cases that might mean offering a price adjustment or bonus. However, before offering extras we need to find out the customer’s expectation. You might say for example, “We value your business and we want to do the fair thing. What do you think would be fair?” In my experience, most customers become so relieved at hearing this that their requests become minimal. Then you can add a slight extra that *exceeds* their expectations – without giving away the proverbial store. That’s when customers become so thrilled, they become more loyal – not *despite* the foul-up, but *because* of it. 6) Dial for dollars Often, we jump through hoops behind the scenes to ensure our products and services are delivered on time, but get little credit for the success. Customers are so focused on their own priorities that our service becomes background wallpaper, barely noticeable. Customer-centric organizations incorporate after-sales and after-service follow-up courtesy calls to ensure the customer is happy with the solution. It’s also an opportunity to suggest ways the customer can use the product or service to full advantage. Plus, you can plant seeds for additional products and services to augment their purchase. Everyone wins. Bottom line Work becomes easier and less stressful for customers, team members, and suppliers when employees learn how to manage customer expectations. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - General (sector) - Amazon (company) - customer service (topic) - Uber (company) - trust building (topic) - customer expectations (topic) --- Originally reported by Jeff Mowatt, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/manage_customer_expectations_by_building_trust.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/04d293db-c93e-4d4b-aa72-8383a32b0588).