Pedagogica: US culture probe – “Cover your aft!”

IF THIS IS THE SERVICE ECONOMY, WHERE IS THE SERVICE?Some say it all started when Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones shouted to his marines, "Cover your aft!" The history may be apocryphal, but this great US American byword, so common that we abbreviate further as "CYA", seems to have become the battle cry of the front line of our service economy.

This realization first struck me several years ago when leading a seminar in a major hotel and my group was delivered a pot of coffee that was too thin. Unwilling to waste my seminar's precious break time, I personally ran the pot next door to the kitchen. When I told the staff that the coffee was too thin and asked to have it replaced as soon as possible, I was greeted with a chorus of,

• "There can't be anything wrong with it. We brewed it the way we always do."
• "The manufacturer must have put too little coffee in the packet."
• "Maybe there's something wrong with the machine."

Couldn't someone have said, "I apologize, sir. I'll take care of it right away"?

ANGER, THE UNACCEPTABLE EMOTION. It's a documented fact that anger has never been more unacceptable in US culture than it is in business today. When European friends lay it on the line, they tell me that what they most dislike about USians is the perpetual smile which they are increasingly convinced is a shallow cover for aggression. They don't trust it. "They're nice to you until they can't stand it anymore and then they go for the kill."

Not long ago I called the phone company to complain about a repeated problem with our service. "I have reported thid three times," I said, "and I am very upset about it." A sugarcoated voice responded, "I'm sorry sir, we don't deal with angry people." Then I heard a click followed by the drone of a dial tone. One has the feeling that anger is so close to the surface of our psyche that we fear expressing any of it will let it get out of hand. Maybe they're right. Suppressed anger explodes in daily mass shootings.

However, if I admit to being upset, I would Like to hear something like, "I'm sure you're angry, sir, I would be, too. Please give me the details and I will personally make sure that it is addressed to your satisfaction."

Again and again, when we have a complaint we find ourselves in a frustrating vacuum in which it seems that no one is responsible or willing to be responsible. Service personnel should know that there is an important difference between taking responsibility for the failures in one's company's services and personal blame, a distinction that fewer and fewer people seem ready to make.

If my luggage is lost, the airline is responsible. I don't need to hear an agent say, "Well, sir, I can't be responsible for what they did in San Francisco…" as if my filing a lost luggage claim was a personal affront and an imposition to be dealt with reluctantly.

Since I teach communication courses in Positive Power and Influence across cultures which includes when and how to use assertiveness, I also try to "walk the talk" when I deal with people. Frequently I find that I have to claw my way up the tree to the second or third level of supervision before I find someone who is willing to listen to problem and commit to doing something about it. But this is rare as asking to speak to one’s supervisor is usually responded to by, “I’m sorry, sir. My supervisor is currently unavailable.”

IS CONVERSION POSSIBLE? I read recently that automobile salespersons, long the stereotype of crass selling, are turning over a new leaf. These professionals are now being told, "Treat everyone who comes in the door, whether they look like they're going to buy a car or not, as if you were meeting a potential lifelong friend." Not bad advice for anyone in the service sector.

Sure, there are reasons for the poor responses we often get. Service personnel are often overworked and underpaid. They are given very limited responsibility and little or no job security. They often work in a cutthroat environment where others will prey on their mistakes. Anyone can have a bad day. But reasons are only reasons. They don't solve anything.

If an organization is so structured that the persons interfacing with the customer see their prime responsibility as keeping their boss from hearing about problems even when or especially when they do not have the authority, skills or resources to satisfy the complaint, both agents and customers are headed for frustration.

When we perceive ourselves slighted, we are quick to threaten retaliation and legal action. The USA appears to have been blessed with a legal system that can be brought to redress injustices. It is now cursed with an impatience with the process of working things out with other people and legal processes are not so subtle cover for angry and aggressive acts It is as if we believe that transactions are independent of and perhaps superior to relationships. Tidying relationships requires the skills of listening to and influencing others--expertise that seems to be in short supply.

REMEDIES ARE AVAILABLE. What can we do about this all too common state of affairs? I believe that action is possible at every level.

If you are the service person:

• Treat anger, explicit or not, as a legitimate response to disappointment, frustration and product failure. Listen to it and acknowledge it until you know that the customer knows that he or she is being heard. Do this as often as you need to when anger bubbles up in the conversation.
• Apologize for failures whether you have been personally responsible or not. Apologize for failures of colleagues, products and systems. Even if it seems that the customer has wrong information or unwarranted expectations, apologize for the failure to enlighten the customer even if you think he or she should or could have known better or should have acted or used the product differently.  You are the company in the customer’s eyes, and you are responsible for the company and its actions as long as the customer is dealing with you. This is a part of your job whether you own the company or are the newest hire.
• Avoid excuses and explanations for the failure. They aggravate the situation and delay the solution. Even when the customer asks in frustration why the problem has happened, resist the temptation to explain. "I'm not sure why it happened, Ma’am, but if you will give me the details, I'll attend to it right away," is your best line.
• Ask clarifying questions until you know the exact nature of the complaint and what the customer wants you to do about it.
• If you can't resolve the problem on the spot, tell the customer what you will do at every step along the way and what he or she has a right to expect from you and other company representatives. If you don't have the authority to make a decision, tell the customer who does and help them be in touch with that person.
• Keep it personal--you are caring for this individual customer--even if you find it necessary to outline company policies and procedures. Don't let the customer get the feeling that he or she is facing a heartless system or a gigantic bureaucracy. Give the customer your full name, not just your first name and how they can reach you again if they need to before you pass them on to someone else.
• Be sure to do this especially if you are dealing with the customer on the phone--before you put them on hold. Don't leave anyone on hold for more than two minutes without coming back to them. Get their number before you put them on hold. If it's going to take longer, tell them when you will get back to them and keep your promise.

If you are supervising or training service personnel:

• Train your personnel to observe the guidelines recommended above.
• Evaluate them and increase their authority based on their success in using these guidelines.
• Deal with them as you expect them to deal with their customers.

If you are a customer with a complaint:

• Know what you want and what will be a satisfactory outcome before you frame and lodge your complaint.
• If you are angry, you may say so, but do not, belittle or abuse the representative with whom you are dealing. Attempt to make an ally of each person to whom you speak. If you believe you have been falsely dealt with, tell the facts. Recrimination is more likely to create defensiveness than action.
• Go to the source of the problem whenever possible. If you must deal with someone else find out if that person has the authority to rectify the situation. If the answer is "no" ask the representative to help you reach the person who can help you.
• Act quickly but deliberately. Ask for and note the names of each representative to whom you speak. US economic woes may be deep and complex. We may be short on many resources, but clarity, persistence and courtesy do not have to be among them.

A commitment to quality in communicating with each other is available to every one of us no matter what side of the counter or line we are on and it will force the quality of our goods and services to improve. If "cover your aft" remains our battle cry, we will certainly never go forward confidently, as we are always looking behind ourselves.