I try not to use this forum to vent or “stand on a soapbox”. Who wants to hear me whine right? Well, just for today I am going to deviate from that policy.
I heard something the other day that really ticked me off. Glenn Fraser of Toronto, serving with the Canadian military has recently been deployed to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. His father, Richard called his son’s cell provider to see if he could have his son’s cell phone service suspended until he returned. If you have ever dealt with any of the major phone service providers here in Canada I know what you’re thinking now: Riiiiight!
Mr. Fraser politely explained the situation to three different people at this company. Each one had the same answer. NO. Despite the fact that his family spends $400 per month with this company on cell phones, tv and internet this company would not suspend (not cancel, just “hold”) his contract while he is bravely fighting in the name of our country. They kept using the excuse “it’s our policy”. Hmmmmm….now that the story has hit the media how much do you want to bet this company backtracks and blames the lower level employees for this “misunderstanding”?
That’s the point of this blog. Recently I had a problem with something I purchased at a major “big box” hardware store. I dreaded returning the item. I hate confrontations. The first thing I noted was the employee I met at the customer service counter was wearing a button that read “I am empowered to make decisions”.
“Hmmm…we’ll see” I thought. Turns out, yes indeed she was. She made a decision. Didn’t have to check with a supervisor or call the CEO. She simply said “We can fix that”. I was so impressed. I have told everyone I know. You can’t buy that kind of P.R.
When will major corporations figure it out? If you trust your employee enough to represent your company everyday and deal with your customers why don’t you trust them enough to make a common sense decision? I’m just sayin’….