What's the value of perception? Isn't it interesting how
our perceptions rule our beliefs and actions? So much of
the brain research today seems to support the idea that our
perceptions define our reality.
For that reason, this article focuses on the role of
perception in the minds of consumers. Is the glass half
empty or half full? The definition resides in your
customers' eyes!
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People Perceive Quality in Many Ways
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Regardless of how good you believe your offerings or
project solutions are, your clients and customers will be
responding to "quality in perception" even more than
"quality in fact."
Quality in fact refers to the features that we believe
we're paying for, such as how much something weighs, how
fast it runs, or various other characteristics.
Quality in perception refers to things like courtesies,
special considerations, a caring and personalized attitude,
and a host of other subtleties that can lead us to believe
we're receiving something above and beyond what we're
paying for. Effective quality in perception can help
compensate for any gaps in quality in fact that could
otherwise irritate or inconvenience consumers.
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Often, Perceived Value Is Not about Cost
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Some years ago, I was a volunteer mediator in the Small
Claims Court system. Over a period of months, I was
fascinated with the proportion of cases involving alleged
wrongdoing or incompetence. People were suing businesses
such as termite services and auto body painters, and even
former best friends and health care providers over a
variety of grievances! The suits often sought fairly small
amounts of compensation, which meant that the financial
aspects were not the primary concern.
What repeatedly emerged in the mediation sessions was that
each plaintiff felt that the vendor, service provider,
health care provider, or ex-friend had not listened to his
or her concerns. Those plaintiffs frequently believed that
their complaints about shortcomings in services, products,
or communications had simply been dismissed.
Had the defendants in these cases earlier offered something
as simple as a sincere apology -- and had they made a
concerted effort to communicate while also taking timely
remedial action -- I believe the resulting quality in
perception could have prevented many of these lawsuits,
even if the quality in fact still left something to be
desired.
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New Proof of the Power of Apologies
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The New York Times recently reported that sincere,
heart-felt apologies coming from doctors, surgeons, and
hospitals who made serious medical mistakes have the effect
of greatly reducing the likelihood that patients will sue
for malpractice. Further, patients who settle out of court
are often willing to accept lower settlement payments than
when doctors become defensive and deny what happened.
"Deny and defend" is the advice that malpractice lawyers
and insurers typically give to doctors in the U.S.,
according to the Times. Studies that show that as few as 30
percent of medical errors are ever disclosed to patients.
Yet because malpractice claims have helped cause medical
expenses to skyrocket, drastic changes in approaches to
handling these high-stress situations are sorely needed.
According to the article, two years ago, the University of
Illinois Medical Center initiated a program of openly
acknowledging and apologizing for its medical mistakes.
Since then, the number of malpractice filings against the
center dropped in half. And in 37 cases where the hospital
acknowledged a preventable error and apologized, only one
patient has filed suit.
In one patient's situation described in the article, "the
doctor was completely candid, completely honest, and so
frank that . . . all the anger was gone." This apology also
helped settle the case for a significantly lower amount.
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Creating a Perception of Seamlessness
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To help ensure the continuity of our customers'
perceptions, we need to create consistently pleasant
experiences in every interaction each person has, from
visiting a Web site or bricks-and-mortar location, to
asking for more information, to buying products, to
receiving shipments, to interacting with the actual
products or services, to asking for help, and so on.
Consider this very important point: People perceive a
series of interactions with your organization and offerings
as one cohesive experience -- as if everyone and everything
represents threads in the same seamless piece of woven
fabric.
Customers don't care whether behind the scenes, your
business is spread out all over the world, or whether
individual departments consist of contractors or employees,
earthlings or aliens. Whenever customers call technical
support representatives, for example, they expect them to
know all about the features advertised on the Web site that
are supposed to be in the product.
So, if there is any type of communication disconnect, you
might be able to explain it to yourself, but there's no
logical explanation for it in your customer's mind.
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Prescriptions for Boosting Quality in Perception
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These important findings show the power of apologies and
candid communications in influencing the perceptions of
clients, customers, or patients. To make sure you're not
overlooking potential ways to create quality in perception,
consider:
1) Special courtesies that can set your offerings apart
from your competitors'
2) Your ability to listen to and handle complaints quickly
and diplomatically
3) Your willingness to be honest with clients about
problems and shortcomings
4) Clear, prompt, and courteous communications that convey
consistent details
Remember that quality in perception is not a substitute for
quality in fact. But it can go a long way toward minimizing
customer and client dissatisfaction, as well as powerfully
reinforcing stellar quality when you ultimately deliver it.
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Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is the author of the award-winning
"Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance" program.
She helps people "discover and recover" the profits their
businesses may be losing every day through overlooked
performance potential. To sign up for more free tips, visit
her site at http://LearnShareProsper.com
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