{"id":3612,"date":"2014-10-27T07:34:16","date_gmt":"2014-10-27T14:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/insider\/?p=3612"},"modified":"2014-10-27T07:34:16","modified_gmt":"2014-10-27T14:34:16","slug":"exceeding-your-customers-expectations","status":"publish","type":"insider","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/insider\/exceeding-your-customers-expectations","title":{"rendered":"Exceeding Your Customers\u2019 Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Increase your customer base by putting actionable information into the hands of people that need it. <\/strong> <\/em>
\nAs we\u2019ve already mentioned in our Managing GIS<\/a> series, the expectations of mapping have changed for both executives and your customers\u2014the consumers of geographic information. In a government agency, your customers are not just your colleagues, but also the public. As GIS professionals, we have to adjust to this changing landscape, and in doing so we are provided with new opportunities to make ourselves indispensable by showing the full value that GIS can actually bring to the organization. And one of the keys to doing this is to increase our customer base by exceeding their expectations.
\nSeveral years ago, I was in a meeting with a GIS manager and a CIO. The Community Planning Director interrupted the meeting briefly and asked the GIS manager for an updated map of foreclosures in the county. The GIS manager quickly agreed to do this, the director left, and our meeting continued. It was absolutely all I could do not to stop the director before he left and ask him one important question:
\n\u201cWhy do you need the map?\u201d <\/strong>
\nHow would you create a map like that without knowing why you were creating it? The map is an information product\u2026a means to an end. But there is a need<\/em> behind the need. I\u2019m sure the director didn\u2019t wake up that morning and say, \u201cI\u2019d love to see a depressing map about foreclosures to get my day going.\u201d No, there was an actual need<\/em> driving that request. Maybe he wanted to see the correlation of blight and crime in proximity to the foreclosures. Maybe he wanted to see how property values around these foreclosures had been affected. For all that director knew, a printed map of foreclosures was his only option.
\n\u201cWhy do you need the map?\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>If we don\u2019t ask that question as GIS professionals, we\u2019re just guessing at the answer. We\u2019re very likely not really addressing a need by just sending that director a bunch of dots on a map. By engaging our customers, though, and asking questions, we can reveal the need behind the need and put actionable information into the hands of people that need it.
\n

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Dots on a Map: It may be exactly what your customer ask for, but it\u2019s not exactly what they need.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\nSpatial analysis is one of the things that make you special.<\/strong>
\nConsider this: Your customers probably don\u2019t have the level of knowledge about spatial analysis<\/a> that you do. They probably don\u2019t know what can really be done. It\u2019s up to you to guide them. In this sense, think of yourself as a sort of Spatial Doctor. The customer is telling you what they need, and you have to ask the right questions to find out how to give the proper diagnosis. It\u2019s up to you to stay on top of the analysis tools at your disposal, what<\/em> they do, and when<\/em> to use them. And there are a number of free and low-cost training options<\/a> that can help you do this.
\n
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Dots in Context: Spatial analysis reveals relationships and patterns that help us better understand our world.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBut exceeding their expectations isn\u2019t just about performing spatial analysis. You have to know what kind of information product your customer needs to accomplish his or her goal. Maybe it\u2019s a web map, or a web map that needs to be deployed as a specific app template<\/a> or a story map<\/a>. Maybe there\u2019s a need to deploy an ArcGIS Solutions<\/a> app. Perhaps enabling mobile data collection<\/a> is the solution, or maybe it\u2019s embedding a live map into a web page<\/a>. And maybe some kind of map isn\u2019t even the information product that is needed; it might be an infographic<\/a> or simply an old-fashioned report. What\u2019s important to know is that it\u2019s not a one-size-fits-all approach.
\n
\nKeep it simple. Keep it focused. <\/strong>
\nIn this day and age, it\u2019s important to remember this philosophy. Don\u2019t over-complicate the solution. Provide a focused solution. Yes, you could provide an additional layer or twelve, maybe even a few extra tools\u2026but are those really needed to get your customers where they need to go? Antoine de Saint-Exupery<\/a>, an early aviation pioneer, had a great quote that is timely even today:
\n\u201cA designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.\u201d
\n
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You have to know what kind of information product your customer needs to accomplish his or her goal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThere are so many more sustainable and fully-supported options now for information delivery, many of which your customers are not even aware, that require no<\/em> programming or maintenance on your part. So it\u2019s critical that you stay on top of these options to recognize the best fit for your customers. Remember that being proactive in these instances is better than being reactive. Don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to department directors and key colleagues to find out how and where you can leverage your location platform to help them do their jobs better. This goes back to an earlier blog post where I emphasized the importance of engaging with executives<\/a>.
\n
\nGive them what they want. And then some. <\/strong>
\nYou exceed your customers\u2019 expectations when you go beyond their map<\/strong> requests, address the need behind the need, and deliver a solution<\/span><\/em><\/strong> that helps them do their job better or answer a pressing question. At the core of it all, that\u2019s what you do as a GIS professional. You provide solutions that provide spatial insight into your organization.<\/strong> You solve problems! And this is yet another way you become a trusted advisor and a mission-critical component for your organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[275962],"tags":[241,278092],"class_list":["post-3612","insider","type-insider","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-managing-gis-2","tag-gis","tag-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nExceeding Your Customers\u2019 Expectations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/insider\/exceeding-your-customers-expectations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exceeding Your Customers\u2019 Expectations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Increase your customer base by putting actionable information into the hands of people that need it. 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