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Quality,
Quality, Quality Part II
Dear Colleague,
Last week I discussed the
first five key distinctions about the perceptions your customer
has about quality. If you want to review the article, click
here: http://www.contractorofchoice.com/html/QualityDisctinctionsPart1.htm
This week I disclose the
remaining five distinctions about quality. I welcome your
feedback on these.
6. Ease of
the transaction: Your customer will develop a bias about
your quality based on their level of ease during the purchase.
Was there sufficient variety of your product for your customer
to choose from? Were sufficient options, alternatives, changes,
upgrades and choices available to your base product? Variety is
not the only way to define quality. Sometimes, limited variety
can be perceived as high quality in the mind of your customer.
Know your market and your unique selling proposition.
7. Ease of
communication: In this digital, electronic age, communication
should be extremely easy to facilitate. However, effective, timely
communication and follow up remain one of the deepest, if not
the deepest, pain for customers. The perception of quality can
be managed effectively by your commitment to prompt, thorough
and regular communication with your customer.
8. Assumptions:
Your customer may have perceptions about quality based
solely on assumptions. They assume that certain processes will
happen. They assume that certain materials will be used. They
may assume that you will communicate with them at certain times
and in specific ways. These assumptions, when not met, send a
signal of poor quality to the mind of your customer.
9. Third
party endorsements: Customers may base their perception
of quality on what “they have heard”. Their perception of quality
may have been influenced by any of the following:
- Consumer reports that
are available on the Internet or in bookstores
- Media reports, home
decorating shows, television news magazine shows, radio shows
or even reality TV shows. Examples may include, Time Life Books,
This Old House, 60 Minutes, or the Saturday morning do-it-yourself
radio talk shows.
- Neighbors, friends,
work associates, family members or even casual acquaintances
who have had building experiences.
- Manufacturer’s reports.
Most manufactures provide installation and product care guides.
Your customer has access to these. The manufacturer wants the
users of their products to be informed. They also have warranty
and liability issues to protect. When your customer investigates
the manufacturer’s suggestions, they will develop product and
service quality perceptions and expectations.
- Hearsay. Your customers
are human beings and sometimes are influenced by hearsay. There
may be no substantive information about the hearsay, but it
has created a perception of quality.
10. Warranty:
The warranty you provide may send a silent message to your customer
of the quality of your product or service. Real or imagined, a
customer may conclude that a long warranty means that you will
build with high quality durable products. A short warranty may
mean to your customer that you are just trying to cut costs, hence
cutting quality. Conversely, a long warranty may send a message
to your customer that you are over promising and that you may
have something to hide in terms of quality. You cannot make any
assumptions. You must communicate with your customer about their
perceptions of your stated warranty. You deserve to make the explanation
and your customer certainly deserves the explanation.
All perceptions to a consumer
are real and vivid, especially at the outset of the transaction.
Never assume that your customer is over-reacting or being unreasonable.
Ask them specifically what they expect in terms of quality.
Ask how they define quality. Then, deliver the quality they
expect.
Until next time, take great
care of yourself and your loved ones.
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October 26, 2004
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