Gone Are The Days Of Under Promising And Over Delivering

A trend for more than a decade, under promise and over delive has come to a bitter end. The customer service branding model was formed as an action to stand out from the competition. It found footing quickly and became part of company's branding, core values and culture. This company promise worked its way into Fortune 500 all the way to down to small businesses.

Why was it a good business practice

Early adopters of this business practice truly believed in the process and delivered on the promise. This was not only a business practice but became part of their branding, separating them from others in their industry. As most companies adopted this practice, it became common place and transitioned into an expectation rather than a differentiator. But, as in the things in business, good things to come to end and brands must further innovate and appear archaic. 

The end occurred when a majority of people experienced negative results

First it was 2-day, then next day then the ultimate, same day delivery. Even before the Pandemic, deliveries started to fail and even more so with the Pandemic. But with this delivery promise, even in the B2B world, consumers have solidified this as an expectation. And when the promise has been failed, consumers have the world to let know via social media channels. What this expectation has created even in the business world, that product and service deliveries should have shorter lead times and if you commit to a delivery timeline, it better be met. 

What is the next customer service business practice trend

Promise clearly (achievable delivery) and deliver on that promise. Its that simple. Understand what you’re going to do, clearly communicate it the deliver on the commitment. It's almost like there needs to be behavioral retraining for customers, which can be achieved with understanding precisely your ability to complete the order along with the delivery execution. This even applies to Saas and online service companies that need to complete system integrations. Thank you Amazon for creating the consumer behavioral expectation of next day delivery for everything, even though it's unrealistic for businesses in other industries. 

Michael Newhouse
WCN group
wcngroup@gmail.com