Customer Expectations
Abstract
Dianna and Fred discuss the “fuzzy and shadowy” world of customer expectations, discussing how to set reliability requirements that actually keep customers coming back.
Key Points
Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss customer expectation of reliability.
Topics include:
- The Warranty Trap: why designing a product to only last as long as its one-year warranty is a recipe for customer frustration and “bad business”.
- The Weight of Failure: the true measure of reliability is the impact of a failure on the customer’s life or business, rather than just the cost of a repair.
- Technological Maturity: “shiny new features” eventually gives way to standard expectations.
- Repairability as Reliability: Explore how the ease of service and repair can mitigate the negative impact of a failure.
Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches.
Show Notes
Fred and Dianna discuss the critical role of customer expectations in determining product reliability requirements.
“How long a product should last” is almost entirely dictated by what the customer expects rather than just technical specifications.
They challenge the common corporate practice of designing products to last only as long as the warranty period. They note that a customer who experiences a failure just days after a one-year warranty expires will feel angry and frustrated. For major investments like washing machines or dishwashers, the expectation has evolved to roughly ten years. Failing to meet that mark is often seen as “bad for business”.
Not all failures are viewed equally; the true measure of a reliability problem is its impact on the customer.
For instance, a motor failure that shuts down an entire factory line has an astronomical impact compared to a minor sensor failure. Customer disruption (the time spent researching, repairing, or replacing a product) is often the most detrimental aspect of poor reliability. Serviceability plays a key role, as products that are easy to repair can turn a potential failure into a manageable experience for the user.
As technology matures, these expectations only grow. While customers might initially chase “shiny new things” and tolerate bugs, they eventually expect those features to become standard, robust, and long-lasting.
Fred and Dianna conclude that while there is no single formula for setting these requirements, meeting or exceeding expectations is the only way to ensure customers repurchase from the brand in the future.
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