There are two coffee shops in my local town - they both deliver a lovely creamy flat white.
Each coffee is the same size and price. But at Bar du Midi, Jean-Marc puts an additional piece of cake on my saucer. His Mum bakes every day and I get just a little square of her latest creation - I love her banana bread. It's a delicate gesture, but I feel it's personal and a treat.
But Jean-Marc has created an expectation that he must now deliver on every time I pop in for coffee. If I don't get a square of cake, or he replaces it with a plastic wrapped biscuit, I would be offended and feel cheated. It would create a dilemma the next time I wanted a coffee. Where would I place my custom?
His over-delivery has become the norm. It might have been better if the cake was an occasional gesture - worth popping into his café in anticipation.
Imagine you take your car in for a service. The garage says it will be ready to collect in 4 hours. It's actually ready in:
30 minutes - you might feel the job has been done too quickly; maybe a few steps have been missed and the price they quoted is too high because a job that takes only 30 minutes can't be worth what you paid.
3 hours - they got going right after you left the car, did the job thoroughly and even gave you a valet inside and out.
4 hours - they took the time they said. The work was done thoroughly plus the valet was included. They even removed a dent in your door panel for free.
6 hours - you had to get a taxi to your dental appointment and then another to the garage. The garage couldn't explain why your car was late, but at least the job was completed.
What delivery time is optimal? I'd probably say around 3 hours because it speaks of thoroughness and efficiency, and delivers more than was promised. Before that risks taking shortcuts, and after 4 hours says 'not customer-friendly'. In the case of the garage, fast doesn't always equal a better outcome. If you're Amazon, then fast is everything - this morning is better than this afternoon.
Whatever business you're in, if you over-promise and under-deliver you risk an unhappy customer who might not come back. You're raising a level of expectation that you won't deliver on and was probably more than the customer was expecting anyway.
You might also want to get into the personal habit of under-promising. It makes for a less fraught life. If you know you'll be there in 20 minutes, say 30 - just to give you some wiggle room. If you do arrive early, they'll be impressed. But not too early. There's still some lip-gloss to apply!
Get into the habit of promising less than you know you can deliver - and get your team to do the same.
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