When does Can Do become Can’t Do or Won’t Do?

In the film “ Falling Down” Michael Douglas plays the part of a dysfunctional father trying to get back to his home for his daughter’s birthday. As the story of this seemingly straightforward endeavour unfolds things get more frustrating, complex and violent. At one point he needs to eat and goes into a diner and orders a breakfast. The counter assistant tells him that the time is 1135 and they stop serving breakfast at 1130. He asks politely for them to bend the rule but they refuse, he pleads and they still refuse. He then pulls a shotgun out of his bag and fires two shots into the ceiling and lo and behold he gets a breakfast! I have suffered exactly the same fate because of a similar policy regulation and it is enormously frustrating but I did not resort to, or recommend shot gun tactics but as it was possible (not impossible) for them to meet the customer’s request why did he have to go to such extreme lengths?  What were the barriers to satisfaction and for whose benefit were they designed?

Clearly there is a Policy issue in play that chooses to put business convenience above revenue opportunity and does not allow the staff to meet the customer’s needs. The food, the kitchen, the staff are all there so for the sake of 5 minutes why not be flexible and take the money? One good reason is that research demonstrates that if a customer is lost due to a Policy conflict they are lost forever.

John Timpson successful owner of the Timpson's business and author of Upside Down Management ISBN978-0470-68945-5. says "We develop our business by looking after customers not by sticking to rules laid down by Head Office”. They give their branch staff the autonomy and freedom to operate branch as they see best way to grow business and many years of year on year growth seem to be working for him.

However such circumstances often arise informally as a result of the single or combined effect of the other key 5 performance barriers.
 

1-  People do not know WHAT to achieve - need Communication

2-  People do not know HOW to achieve - need Education and Skill Development

3-  People do not WANT to achieve - need Motivation

4-   People CANNOT achieve - need Replacement

5-  People are not ALLOWED achieve - need Policy repair.

Knowing and understanding what combination of these barriers may be inhibiting an individual’s service quality performance is a key first step in understanding the root cause of some customer dissatisfaction. The second step is developing and implementing a programme that addresses the identified needs of individuals or groups. Do you understand the potential impact of these barriers on your organisation?

The intended outcome should be that customers should be satisfied and reach for their wallets to give your organisation money rather than reach for a shotgun to wreck your ceilings!

 

Phillip Forrest