“The worst mistake a business can make is to over-promise and under-deliver”

A major cause of poorly perceived service is the difference between what a firm promises about a service, and what it actually delivers. To avoid broken promises companies must manage all communications to customers, so that inflated promises do not lead to overly high expectations. This difference between what is promised and what is delivered can cause customer frustration, perhaps driving the customer to the competition. As Jim Knight, Senior Director of Training for Hard Rock International says: “the worst mistake a business can make is to over-promise and under-deliver”. Researchers suggest that there are four strategies that are effective in managing service promises: creating effective advertising; coordinating external communication; making realistic promises; and offering service guarantees. All these strategies are discussed in detail in a new article written by Dr. Hudson and published in Hotel Business Review: http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/4234/managing-services-promises