I have long been a proponent of establishing a “no policy zone” in order to manage challenging customer relations. I imagine a sign similar to the international no parking sign, a large circle with a capital P in the center with a line going through it, to signify don’t park here, don’t do it, don’t go there because the outcome will be poorly received by the customer. Similar to the “no parking zone,” a “no policy zone” would have the same effect. The symbol would be a reminder that defaulting to this line of thinking is guaranteed to annoy and anger customers and often backfires on management.
For reasons unbeknownst to me, service providers all too often rely on the words “It’s our policy“ as an explanation and rationale for absurd management rules or simply to justify their own lazy behavior. I am not suggesting that businesses can operate without rules and procedures. Instead, I am suggesting that many are unnecessary and using the word “policy” as an explanation is usually just plain annoying. The point of me telling these stories is not just to vent (well maybe a little). It is more to ask the question, what are you doing in your business where employees are quoting policy as an explanation?
I have recently been the victim of two “It’s our policy” experiences, both of which occurred while being a customer at well-established international brands that should and do know better. The first was with a car rental company and the latter with a hotel chain.
Let me start off with the car rental experience. I made plans for my client to be with me at the time of the car rental so that we could arrange to put it on his credit card. I totally understand that the driver needs a valid credit card and of course I had one. I was told that they could put it on my client’s card but he had to be present three days later when I returned the car. Call me crazy, but if they are able to do it on the return (which by the way, he was not able to be present for), then why couldn’t they arrange billing with him while he was standing in their lobby. When I asked what the rationale for this rule was, I was told, “It’s our policy,” as if that was a perfectly legitimate, acceptable and understandable explanation. Not wanting to waste time, I simply shook my head, rented the car and sent my client the bill after the fact. An annoyance for me and from what I can tell totally unnecessary. I am a member of their special circle of customers, which made it doubly annoying, and made me question renting from them again.
The hotel incident however went beyond annoying; it was actually extremely upsetting. I not only found the experience incredulous, it actually ruined my day considering I spent 14 months developing their employee-training program. Full disclosure: I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have trained their employees never to use “It’s our policy” as an excuse. But training only works if it is reinforced and people are held accountable for what is included in the instructional materials.
In a nutshell, here is what happened. The hotel was offering 500 extra points for their loyalty program if guests spent $50 at their restaurant. The one and only restaurant in the hotel also provides room service. During my stay, I had room service two nights out of three so when I was checking out I asked about the 500 bonus points. I was told that because I had room service I wasn’t eligible because one had to actually go to the restaurant. Huh??? If I spent the money but sat in the restaurant and ate I was eligible but if I spent the same amount but ate it in my room I was not eligible?? I asked what the rationale for this line of thinking was and was told, “It is the policy.” Having developed the hotel’s training program, I knew that the culture of the company was to say yes whenever possible. I expressed my disbelief and even said, “This is bullshit.” Another employee, (not “Mr. Policy”, who amazingly was a manager) went and checked and came back to the front desk and told me that they would give me the points after all. Does getting what you asked for after being hassled make up for the annoyance? I don’t think so. Why say no if you can say yes? In the future, I will seek accommodations at one of their competitors. It may not be any better, but it will annoy me less.