You can’t satisfy all your customers’ needs. But I think you should at least deliver what you have promised.

I was reading Seth Godin’s blog on some consumers being short-sighted, greedy and selfish.  It got me into some thoughts…

While you can’t satisfy some of your customers who simply ask for more, there are some businesses out there who actually over-promise and under-deliver.  As customers ourselves, anyone of us may actually encounter this issue where some of the items are not going to be delivered even though it was promised originally.

As a customer, it can be disturbing to receive under-delivered promises from companies.  It only tells me a few characteristics about that company:

1. The company is actually incapable. They are just over-promising things.
2. The company is handling too many businesses.  Hence, they are used to getting such complaints always.
3. Having a “good” portfolio of clients doesn’t mean much actually.
4. They have internal conflicts with their employees or with their outsources.
5. New employees are in the midst of taking over the work of old employees.

And I think that a good project manager is very crucial to make things work.  And it is not easy even if a good project manager is taking over a badly handled project.

In terms of operation, it is also crucial that enough resources have been dedicated.  It is understandable that a small company may suffer lack of resources when business is good… and that same company is suffering from over-staffing when business is bad… So, the company must really focus a lot on resource management.

And when a customer has been disappointed again and again for under-delivered promises, there are only two things he can do…

1. Give up and get it over…
2. Complain and give another chance… (probably this is the tenth chance already)

If you are the business owner, what will you do?