I was facilitating focus groups of businesses that utilize local government services.  The phrase that popped up multiple times was “Time Is Money!”  What these municipal customers were conveying was that their time was valuable, and delays were wasting their time.  But the conversations were not just about how long some process would take.  These were builders and developers, these were representatives of organizations that were performing renovations and repairs.

While the total process time was one part of the timeliness equation, one of my learnings from these focus groups was that the other part of the timeliness equation was predictability.

These focus group participants evaluated the customer experience by having an understanding of what that experience was going to be, the milestone dates or timelines associated, and those expectations being met.

The Customer’s Need for Predictability

The customers needed predictability because it enabled them to plan their next steps and timeframes.  It enabled them to understand how the tasks they’re working on fit into the bigger picture schedules.  It helped them to communicate with their stakeholders about timelines and responsibilities.

This also applies to healthcare.  If somebody is having an outpatient procedure, knowing the length of the procedure, how long they’ll be held after the procedure, how much notification lead-time they’ll get before they get discharged – that knowledge helps the patient to understand when to make that call for transportation to take them home.

This applies to pro sports.  We do TONS of surveys for pro sporting events, and sometimes fans reach out to us directly – not about the survey but asking when they’re going to get their tickets for the next event.  They were not told what to expect or didn’t remember, and now they’re antsy because the expectations aren’t known, because the predictability isn’t there.

What this Means for You

When considering how to improve your customer experience, focus on how to improve the predictability of what you do.  Oftentimes there is a predictable nature to what the process steps might be, who’s going to follow-up with the customer, and when it’s going to occur.  But unless that is communicated to the customer, and unless that is delivered as designed, the customer won’t know what to expect.  The lack of predictability can create additional touch points for you and additional anxiety for the customer.

Create more predictability for a better customer experience.

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