When we think of  our business standards, mostly we think of never lowering them to get or keep business.  Have you ever had an experience where raising standards caused a problem?

Sometimes we work on a project or with a client that we especially cherish and find ourselves upping the ante, so to speak.

Here’s an example.   A relatively new client with a new business in a field that was also new to her was enthusiastic about getting off the ground and building her client base.  We both got caught up in the excitement and freshness of her ideas and implementing her new web site, blog, and teleseminar.

Her industry was exciting and the work so challenging and stimulating that I often worked off the clock and provided turn around times way beyond standard commitment time frames.   Needless to say, we had a thriving relationship and enjoyed working together.

However, as the business started to settle in and my schedule changed, things shifted and commitment times slowed to standard turnaround and the business fell more in line with the regular schedule.

You can likely guess what happened next.  The client started to feel she was no longer a priority and was less than satisfied with the service she was now getting.  Who could blame her?  She had become accustomed to a service level way beyond the expected standard.   Getting less than that was certainly an adjustment for her.

While it is often good customer service to exceed expectations, it is not ideal to do so to the point of setting expectations of a new standard.  That might seem to be a fine line to walk.  But it actually isn’t.

Here is the lesson I learned.  Stand by your standards.  When you go beyond them, find a gracious way to make it clear it is not standard, but letting client know you have made a special effort.  That way you are both well served.