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 Communication2- 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
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