I am somewhat amused when I see efforts to establish boundaries related to customer experiences.
I recently stopped at a highway rest stop and saw a sign reading, “Attendant not responsible for the vending area.” It just struck me as kind of funny. Several comebacks came to mind, like …
It is sure good to know what the attendant is NOT doing.
Okay, then what IS the attendant responsible for?
Did I even ask about the vending area?
What attendant?
Okay, actually, I get it. I’m sure this was prompted by the fact that people have lost their money in a malfuctioning vending machine and go to the attendant for help, only to have them say, “not my job.” It just makes me wonder, at what point did they determine this is such a huge problem that we better put a sign up so that people don’t bother the attendant. Instead could they of have trained the attendants on how to handle the information and maybe provide information on who could be contacted for help.
In this time where the customer experience is an opporutnity to differentiate, setting boundaries is not the right strategy.
Patrick Gibbons
Principal/SVP
Walker
