An Equation for Customer Satisfaction

What negative commentary from unsatisfied constituents is so often directed at politicians, across party lines or affiliations? They made empty promises.
I read a blog post this morning by Seth Godin where he discusses a simple equation for customer satisfaction.

Customer Satisfaction = (What you get) – (What you were hoping for)

The Digital Essentials, Part 3

Developing a robust digital strategy is both a challenge and an opportunity. Part 3 of the Digital Essentials guide series explores five of the essential technology-driven experiences customers expect, which you may be missing or not fully utilizing.

Get the Guide

Anytime this equation is positive, you have a satisfied customer. There are two ways to manage this equation. You can:

1. Change what you deliver
2. Change what you promise

Godin makes a great point that you can only reduce expectations so far – “yes, of course you have to make promises to earn attention and trial. The mistake is when you put more effort into the promises and less into what you deliver.” No matter how good your product or service, if your customer expects more than you provide, you’ve lost. Lost a subsequent sale, lost a customer, lost your reputation, lost your brand equity. The good news? It works the other way too.
Sources:
(What you get) – (What you were hoping for) – Seth Godin
Image Credit – VectorPortal