An Easy Way to Exceed Expectations

Colorful chalk
Colorful chalk image from Big Stock Photo

This fall is my family’s 14th and final year at the elementary school where all three of my kiddos attended for at least five years of their lives. It’s going to be tough to leave because many staff members are like family. Volunteering at the middle and high schools aren’t the same as at the elementary school. So I’ve been making an extra effort to be more involved because it’s my last chance as a parent.
A moment of insanity … volunteering to do the newsletter
I went a little crazy and volunteered to do the PTA’s newsletter. I knew I could do the newsletter, but the time commitment was a concern. (I know how to say no. Yes, really, I do!) It took a lot of time to do the just-released first issue, but it’ll go faster next time now that I have a template for it. (I hope!)
To my surprise, the raves started pouring in. I couldn’t imagine why because previous editors did a nice job with theirs. Folks said they appreciated the extra effort with the interactive features, such as linking to parts of the PTA website and adding bookmarks that you can click and it takes you to the related page. They also liked the editorial calendar with due dates, list of articles in past issues month-by-month and easy online access to the calendar.
One issue down. Eight more to go. I hope I can keep this up.
Lagniappe: Do more for others
Lagniappe [lan-yap] n. 1. Small gift given to customer with a purchase. 2. An unexpected bonus.
Employers and clients hire folks to do a job, provide a service or create a product. They also gain our expertise and experience even if it comes from an unrelated field. That’s part of providing good customer service. Part of our job is to speak up when a manager leans toward a decision that may not be the best one for the company. Sometimes you have to be proactive and say, “I don’t recommend this route because of XYZ. The better route would be LMN because … .”
You inform. You offer solutions. You explain why. You respect the final decision. That’s all you can do.
You can also look for ways to help improve the business. For example, one client’s website had a bug and his staff couldn’t fix it. I went in, played with it, harumphed a few times and finally fixed the little bugger. (Ha! I’m reading “Ender’s Game.”) What I do for the client? I’m an editor and writer. He didn’t hire me for web design or website management. (I got my start as a writer by writing about web design.) It’s a skill I happen to have that turned into a lagniappe.
It’s not just for surprising and delighting clients and employers. You can apply it to all parts of your life.
What’s your lagniappe? What are some ways to do a little something extra for clients?

3 thoughts on “An Easy Way to Exceed Expectations”

  1. Your examples are great. Sometimes the service you provide is doing the little extras, like making it easier for them. Or when you see something that doesn’t work, you fix it. I listen to issues and provide suggestions on things not related to my service. I think we all can help each other in this way.

  2. This is so true. The secret to success and exceeding expectations is to go another mile. If you do that, people will recognize the effort and reward you for it.

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