I read an article recently focusing on marketing in our industry. It mentioned that, as a service industry, “we get paid to execute activities and success is measured by an ability to execute these activities in a manner which meets the client’s expectation.
Our industry has defined expectations as on time, within budget, and a certain level of quality. However, the article pointed out that there is a fourth category of expectations and that is the quality of the experience the client has with our firm. A client will ultimately judge the success of the project by that fourth category. When surveyed, owners spend most of the time describing how they were made to feel by the people who oversee the project: their behaviors, attitudes, quality of communication, expertise, etc.
Budget, schedule, quality are of course important, but meeting those basic expectations doesn’t set you apart from the competition. It’s the quality of the experience the client has with the firm which sets us apart. And every one of us, in every department, has a positive influence on that by always putting the client first and always projecting a “can do” attitude.
