Computer Says No!
Hi All,
A touch longer than usual this time.
A colleague recently had to attend a family funeral interstate. With four children in tow ranging from 12 years of age down to 4 years the young family embarked on the day ahead.
On the return journey they arrived at Sydney Airport, made their way through security then headed to their departure gate. They had arrived well before their departure to make sure there would be plenty of time to get everyone fed and catch their breath; it had been a long emotional day.
As the time came to board their flight, they noticed the departure gate had changed. It was now a rush to get to the other end of the airport with the four children – one with a broken collar bone. On reaching the gate, the Jetstar attendant advised them that boarding had now closed. Looking at the plane still sitting on the deck with the steps still attached my colleague said “Jetstar changed the gate, we didn’t hear or were not advised of any change, you knew we were checked in? You’ve put us in a desperate situation!”
To cut a long story short there was now a total of ten passengers all facing the same problem. Simple answer from the Jetstar employee – “Computer Says No”. There was no attempt or thought by the attendant to contact a higher level staff member to check on what maybe able to be done. The answer was simple and straight forward.
THE COMPUTER SAYS NO!
Remember this wasn’t just one family who apparently had it wrong, this was now ten passengers!
We sit in the comfort of our homes and are all lulled into the warm and fuzzy ads telling us by flying with Jetstar you will have a wonderful and joyous experience. Just don’t actually expect customer service or assistance. Through clever marketing, perception is everything – close the sale and then as a customer you’re on your own. It seems to be a growing attitude in strategic direction from some corporates and unfortunately government departments don’t appear to be much better. (Keep an eye out for the upcoming post Bad Company).
Conversely, I hear so many SME’s saying “I wish my employees would just show some initiative! Do I have to wipe their noses all the time” “What are they waiting for – the gun to go off ! ”
So as usual, I got thinking about the way a growing number of business’s operate and why great service is becoming a seemingly secondary factor in delivering an outcome to the consumer.
By design, most larger organisations have become all dependant on computer systems that drive a systematic process and ultimately protocol. Like any activity, structure is very important to be able to plan and progress . However, some organisations aren’t wanting people to think outside the box.
THE COMPUTER SAYS NO !
To quote a excerpt from John P Kotter *
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“ For some of the same reasons that control is so central to management, highly motivated or inspired behaviour is almost irrelevant. Managerial process must be as close as possible to fail safe and risk free. That means they cannot be dependant on the unusual or hard to obtain. The whole purpose of systems and structures is to help normal people who behave in normal ways to complete routine jobs successfully, day after day. It’s not exciting or glamorous. But that’s management “
Sadly, on the face of it many “normal” employees are living nothing more than a robotic existence in their workplaces. So, if there isn’t any genuine encouragement by some corporations for simple thought driven activities like initiative and genuine customer service then what becomes of the need for Leadership?
John P Kotter again
“ Leadership is different. Achieving grand visions always requires a burst of energy. Motivation and inspiration energise people, not by pushing them in the right direction as control mechanisms do but by satisfying basic human needs for achievement , a sense of belonging, recognition, self esteem, a feeling of control over one’s life and the ability to live up to one’s ideals. Such feelings touch us deeply and elicit a powerful response.”
My view is everything has its place and whilst the likes of Jetstar will persist with their business model, it will open up opportunity for other business’s to offer a next level service. Initially, the available market share maybe smaller but quality is remembered long after price. The cattle class will always exist but it will slide further into a negative consumer experience as the systematic management of the business world will not be able to attract motivated and inspired employees who relish the opportunity to deliver first class service. Rather they will attract below average staff at best. The consumer experience will continue to deteriorate as the culture of poor service grows at the coal face unabated through no tangible quality Leadership. Systematic management isn’t a long term strategy in a growing market of high consumer expectation.
Value for money doesn’t mean cheap and nasty.
Keep an eye on organisations who are building a platform based on exceptional service or quality products. They have inspiring Leadership which recognises the value of each performing team member. You are only as strong as your weakest link. They may not be the biggest but a positive customer experience is return business. That’s where the growth and margins exceeding industry averages lie and as a motivated employee, the opportunity to advance and experience a fulfilling role will also exist for the long term. – RD
* What Leaders Really Do – John P. Kotter
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