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If These Heels Could Talk


Aug 18, 2021

Sorry, we don’t take that card. Sorry, the computer won’t let me do that. Sorry, we’re not allowed to process refunds without a manager. 

 

How many times have you heard something like this at a national chain or a government office or some other organization where decision-making is removed from the person who is standing in front of the customer. 

 

There are solid business reasons to make decisions centrally in large organizations - consistency, employee training, fewer hiring requirements and larger labor pool. But the challenge is that when you are creating universal ‘policies’ that are made to be implemented without any real-time information or decision-making, your policies will only cover the situations that you’ve foreseen. 

 

And so the customer standing in front of your employee, waiting to return something broken, is going to have a bad experience. Because you’ve made a decision for that situation that makes your life easier, not theirs. 

 

Large organizations like chain retailers and restaurants can accommodate these bad experiences and exceptions due to the sheer volume of customers and transactions. Government offices can accommodate these bad experiences because there are no other options for most of us. Small businesses cannot survive this kind of decision-making. 

 

Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle discuss business decisions made for the running of the business without the customer or client in mind. And the slippery slope some business owners find themselves on when they prioritize their convenience over their customers.