What ice taught me about customer expectations...

I was working in a coffee cart at a food festival. The sun was out and beaming through the side of the gazebo. Everyone was lining up for their iced beverage of choice: Iced Long Black, Iced Coffee, Iced Matcha, Iced Tea and the list goes on...

I was in charge of filling the cups with ice, which is a job I took very seriously.

Why?

Because the wrong amount of ice can completely ruin the drink.

On a hot day, my coffee order is an Iced Long Black, with an extra shot of coffee and EXTRA ice. You have to say extra when ordering, because if you don’t, your drink never comes with ice filled to the top, which results in a mildly cold, watered down coffee....ughhh!!

So understanding the horrific circumstance that can occur if too little ice is added, I proudly accepted the responsibility as Ice Allocation Officer to ensure every person’s cup was filled to the brim. In doing so, I was predicting complete satisfaction from all of the iced beverage consumers who had ordered from us that day, right?

Wrong!

As I was stacking the ice cups on the counter to mix the next ingredients, a lady walked up to the counter and pointed down at the cups, while screwing up her face in disgust.

“Is one of those mine?” she asked.

As I was the one who had served her, I knew exactly which one was hers, so I responded simply.

“Yes, this one is yours. It won’t be too long.”

“Oh nooo, that is way too much ice. I will hardly get any drink in there. Can you tip some out?” 

I froze for a hot minute and I am sure I had a confused blank stare on my face trying to compute her request.

“Less ice?”

She then had me tip the ice out until there was roughly two or three ice cubes left in the cup.

Her facial expression turned into a giant grin as she thanked me for meeting her request.

It was at this moment I realised that everyone’s ice expectations were different.

I know, it sounds obvious when you say it out loud, but I was so locked into what I preferred that I didn’t contemplate that others might hold a different perspective on the ice situation.

I took this story back to my brother, who is also an Extra Ice Person (must run in the family). We got to talking about how our ice preferences change depending on the type of drink we are consuming.

Fresh Juice: No ice

Cocktail: Minimal Ice

Soft Drink: Light Ice

What we were really unpacking were our expectations, which evidently change depending on a variety of factors.

Customers hold expectations about all services/products and these expectations may be different to yours. They can also shift depending on a variety of factors such as: their previous experiences, what competitors do, what was promised, personal preferences, cultural and social norms, the urgency of their need, price versus perceived value and the list goes on...

Why is this important?

Because expectations influence customer satisfaction levels, which in turn can influence whether that customer comes back, recommends your service or potentially complains about it.

Put simply:

Expectations Exceeded = Compliment, referral, positive review, builds customer loyalty

Expectations Met = Will probably return, perceived value equals price

Expectations Not Met = Complaint, negative review or just won’t return

This is why feedback, asking questions and listening to our customers is so important. If we are only viewing our service through our own perspective, we can’t understand customers' expectations. If we don’t understand, how can we possibly work to meet or hopefully exceed them?

So there you have it. Don't assume everyone wants a cup full of ice, just because you do...

Or maybe you don't like that....which is exactly the point!