Policies are bad...

I've been following Seth Godin for a while. He's a smart guy, and I think his books really reach out to making the world around him a better place. He's not always right, and sometimes he reaches to make a point -- but he still makes a point.

I've been a child of the same mind and soul-crushing establishment that Godin speaks against for quite a while, but fortunately have maintained a somewhat adversarial relationship with it in that I tend not to blend in, to accept blindly or to toe the company line -- it's just not my style. The customers I work with (my customers in my mind) appreciate the candid nature I bring to the table, because they know I'm not going to blindly adhere to doctrine espoused by anyone.

But it seems that this is a growing breed of problem -- the tendency to follow blindly the rules set in front of oneself. Perhaps it's just that the economy is forcing people to "play it safe" to keep their jobs; perhaps it's just that people don't have the same interest in being customer-centric, but an interaction I had this weekend really showed me why being a "policies and procedures" organization doesn't work.

For those who know me, I drink iced tea. A lot. One might almost consider it an addition. I was at a popular theme park in the Orlando area which offers Joffrey's coffees and tea products. I had been to several of the Joffrey's stands to purchase iced tea; for some inexplicable reason, some stations had prepared iced tea, while others did not. This is a common experience for those of us not into drinking soda or coffee, so I have a backup plan -- hot tea and a cup of ice (You'd be amazed at how many people don't realize this is possible -- frightening!). All of the Joffrey's folks had been willing to sell me the hot tea and provide me with a cup of ice (cost to them: $0.25; tea, for those who are unaware, already has a very high profit margin, so they weren't losing anything on the deal) -- until I went to one particular stand. This one was in front of a "highway in the sky" mode of transportation and while my companion waited for me, I proceeded to have this dialogue with the "barista", Orladny. (Not sure of spelling on the name).

Me: I'd like a large iced tea.
O: We don't have that here.
Me: Okay, I'll take a large hot tea and a cup of ice.
O: I can't give you a cup of ice.
Me: Can I buy a cup of ice?
O: No, I can't sell you a cup of ice.
Me: Really? Every other Joffrey's I've been to in the past 3 days has been able to do this for me... (confused look on my face, but still patience in my voice)
O: I can't do that. Next customer?
Me: Can you call your manager for me?
O: She's not here right now.
Me: Can you call her so that I can speak with her, or otherwise provide me with a manner of bringing this to her attention?
O: I'm not allowed to use the cell phone while I'm working.

The conversation ended, because I was, at that point, arguing with a not all that intelligent (although quite shrewd) robot. She was parroting policies that got her out of doing additional work or providing any service beyond that which was on her "I must do" card. Unfortunately, the type of rule-based organizations we are creating where people are replaceable cogs is leading directly to this type of interaction more and more frequently (online chats with "customer service", script-based tech support, etc.) We are commiditizing people to the point where we are eliminating the need for them entirely; why should this store have even had employees? Why not just a machine with push-buttons? It might actually have salvaged the sale -- surely a cup of ice would have been a value-added option on a machine!

In the end, I reported her name to the theme park management, and while I expect that they'll make a reasonable effort to follow it up with the Joffrey's folks, I don't expect anything will come from it, because she was "just doing her job" after all -- she didn't break any rules, she followed the company's policies (no freebies, no giveaways, no sales of items that aren't on the menu) blindly and to the letter -- but without any thought to what that might mean to a customer. Are you doing the same thing in your organization?

I'd bet you are...