Know-How Exchange : Research/Metrics

Read the book "Human Sigma". According to their research it isnt neccessarily how you treat people when things are going well that counts, instead its how you respond to errors you make.

If you make an error than adjust it so the customer comes out better than they were coming into the error on a regular basis, customers will develop an emotional attatchment that meets that result.

It doesn't much matter what WE think about what your customers expect, it matters what THEY think.

If your customer expectations survey didn't contain enough information to write out a pretty clear statement of customer requirements, it's time to go back to your customers and do so. Consider conducting qualitative research exploring expectations of service, perhaps by using techniques such as the Critical Incident Technique (which would inform a response satisfying Frank's advice above).

Consider mapping out the Customer Lifecycle, from acquisition through defection, and all of the places where customers interact with your company. At each interaction, you should be able to state clearly what customer expectations are for that interaction, the recipe for success and that which leads to a service failure.

Hope this helps.

In addition to what Eric says above, you could also follow up, either qualitatively or quantitatively, with questions regarding how the competition delivers at providing customer service along the lifecycle. By getting this competitive data, you will also be able to observe how you measure compared to others, and how to exploit your strengths and shore up efforts on your weaknesses.

Good luck!