Today's Business Lessons
By Francis J. Kong
(The Philippine Star) Updated April 15, 2012
I was in a hurry.
I was invited to speak in a well-known resort, in a land far, far
away. Yes, that’s right. Everything within the resort was just so far
from one another. From the guard house to the clubhouse, it’s at least
half a kilometer!
I entered the resort and was asked to stop at the guardhouse to fill
out a form, which, I was told, I had to bring to the front desk to have
somebody sign off on it, and which I’d have to present to the guard on
duty when I leave later in the day.
I spoke. I had a great time. The client enjoyed it too. After the
book signing and the picture taking, I immediately went on my way home.
I wanted to negotiate the mountainous trail while there was still
daylight. But… I forgot… the slip of paper!
So, at the guardhouse, I pleaded. The sky was getting dark, and the
road back to the front desk seemed to stretch forever. But the guard on
duty stood firm.
“I cannot let you out, Sir,” he explained, “You do not have the exit pass.”
I pleaded once more.“Boss,” I said, “Please… It’s getting dark. I
don’t want to go through the mountains in pitch darkness. Would you
please just let me go out? You can check with the office about me…”
Then came the dreaded words – the words that make customers cringe
and fume and rage: “I’m sorry, Sir, but that’s against company policy!”
Whenever I hear those words, I know that the person speaking lacks
customer service training. People who say “It’s against company policy”
or “It’s our policy” fail to understand that such words can destroy
customer relationship that took years to build.
I kept my peace. This time, I pleaded with the guard to call the
desk manager so I can speak with him. I presented my case to the
gentleman there and asked him to get in touch with the client
organizers so they can guarantee me. By this time, much sunlight had
already been lost just negotiating this “policy”. Good thing the
gentleman at the front desk responded favorably. “It’s all right, Sir,”
he said. “We’ll take care of everything.”
And the guard was given
instructions to let me exit.
At what point does “the company policy” become bad for business? How
should policy challenges be handled? Here are a few things to think
about before you go citing the company policy:
Brian Tracy says, “Whatever your job title, you are in the business of customer satisfaction. Who is your customer?”
Business philosopher Jim Rohn says, “If you make a sale, you can
make a living. If you make an investment of time and good service in a
customer, you can make a fortune.”
Writer Og Mandino says, “The only certain means is to render more
and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task
may be.”
Mark McCormack says, “You can be doing the best job in the world for
your client, but if there’s something missing, if the client is
unhappy, then all your opinions about your performance are worthless.
Great service is a matter of perception. Great service is what the
client thinks it is.”
And here are my recommendations:
1. Find a better language
The way you communicate the company policy can determine whether
your customer would come back or tell others to stay away from you. Try
to respond to policy challenges in such a way that the customer feels
like you understand his or her situation. Corporate speak turns off
customers. But most will respect a policy if they feel that you
understand them and are willing to help.
2. Find the context
Understand where the customer is coming from. What is his or her
unique situation that prompts such a request. Is it reasonable, logical
and sensible?
3. Find the compromise
There’s always room for compromise, if you are willing to find it,
if you’re willing to help the customer out. Just like what the nice
gentleman at the front desk did.
If you have been in business for as long as I have, then you know
that you are not going to please every customer. But you must
understand that the true value of the customer goes beyond the
transaction. If you need to quote a company policy, it means you have a
challenge that, when turned around, will be able to create that person
into a loyal customer.
Respond to policy challenges positively. Train every personnel in
your organization who have touch points with your customer to do so.
Even temps and casual employees need to be trained in the very basics
of positive action and communication.
Excellent customer service simply means inconveniencing yourself for
the convenience of others – your customers! Which is based on a
biblical principle by the way: Do unto others what you want them to do
unto you.
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