Five Assumptions About Customers to Avoid

Yesterday's post was about drawing assumptions as members of the photographic community, business owners and managers. It's ironic that later in the day I ran across one of the Walk the Talk books on Customer Service Success called "Serve Right".

In the chapter called "Watch Your Assumptions", author Steve Ventura, hits on five assumptions every business owner should avoid like the plague when it comes to serving customers.  Stay clear of:

• Assuming you know what customers want - or what's best for them.

• Assuming customers know what they really need.

• Assuming customers understand everything you have explained.

• Assuming customers are okay with whatever you do in the course of servicing them.

• Assuming customers are happy and satisfied.
  
  

I love his closing comment on the last one...

"You'll never really know unless they tell you...or unless you check. So, if they don't say anything, ASK!  (My goal is to make sure you're happy and satisfied with the service you received. How did I do?")

I wonder how many time photographers fail to get clarification and trip over any one of these assumptions later on? It's so easy to make sure everyone is on the same page right up front, long before that first click of the shutter.

Illustration Credit: © PaulPaladin - Fotolia.com