Helping others, providing advice, resources or undertaking requested action so others can achieve their goals are the most common activities of service organizations.

Service can be provided by sections or departments of large organizations focusing solely on the provision of service to a target audience, often called customers, or just individuals for the pleasure of helping others.

Expectations

I am often surprised by those providing service to me.  They tend to either guide me to conform with their practices or even taking  action without first taking time to understand my expectations.

Anticipating the needs of your customer rather than concentrating on their expectations leads to dissatisfaction more often than not. This happens when the goal of the service provider is to meet their organizational expectations versus what the customer is expecting.

Focus on Understanding

Regardless of the situational context, before providing any service, the priority should always be to determine what the requestor is expecting of you.

Assuming what is required might be expedient and could hit the target occasionally but more often it can lead down a path of confusion even frustration both by the service provider and the receiver.

Perception Matters

The customer might perceive the person they have contacted can assist them because of their own assumptions about what a specific area, contact or knowledge source is capable of.

The best way to start a service interaction is to clarify what is beIng expected first, that is not what the requestor wants but rather the outcome they are seeking.

Granted these are related but the distinction can be critical to ensure the service is appropriately target.  Time spent up front to ensure the request is understood is a great way to avoid disappointment.