{"id":30945,"date":"2013-11-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-11-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-service-rules-vs-guidelines\/"},"modified":"2024-01-20T04:56:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T04:56:37","slug":"customer-service-rules-vs-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-service-strategies\/customer-service-rules-vs-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Service Rules vs. Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Customer<\/a>Lessons about Customer Service<\/h2>\r\nSometimes \u201ccompany policy\u201d drives me crazy.\u00a0 Often policies are perceived as unbendable rules.\u00a0 When it comes to customer service, the words policies and rules may not be the best choice of words for creating a customer-focused environment.\u00a0 The story I\u2019m about to share is filled with lessons about customer service.\u00a0 You\u2019ve probably even had this happen to you.\r\n\r\nThe three of us walked into a restaurant for dinner.\u00a0 A fourth person was going to join us, but he was running late.\u00a0 He said to start without him.\r\n\r\nWe told the hostess we needed a table for four.\u00a0 There were several open tables.\u00a0 She noticed there were just three of us and asked where the fourth was.\u00a0 We told her he was running late and we were going to order without him.\u00a0 That\u2019s when she said:\r\n\r\nI\u2019m sorry. We can\u2019t seat you until your entire party is here.<\/i>\r\n\r\nAlthough we told her he was running late and we wanted to order without him, it made no difference to her.\u00a0 She was following the company \u201cpolicy\u201d.\u00a0 By the way, I can appreciate the restaurant\u2019s position.\u00a0 Some guests sit at the table and don\u2019t order until the rest of the party shows up.\u00a0 In that case, I understand.\u00a0\u00a0 Good restaurants tell their guests they will seat them at the very next table once the rest of the party arrives.\u00a0 Good solution, but that didn\u2019t apply to this situation.\r\n\r\nNow, back to the story.\u00a0 What happened next could have come from a script from Seinfeld.\r\n\r\nI said, \u201cOkay, there are only three of us.\u00a0 We need a table for three.\r\n\r\nShe said, \u201cSir, you\u2019re lying to me.\u201d\r\n\r\nDarn, she caught me. (I\u2019m being sarcastic.)\u00a0 I said, \u201cJust give us a table for three.\u201d\r\n\r\nI thought for sure she would start to argue with me.\u00a0 After all, she apparently wanted to follow the rules and she had just called me a liar.\u00a0 But she didn\u2019t argue.\u00a0 Instead, she grabbed three menus and immediately seated us at a table\u2026 that had four chairs!\r\n\r\nThis is the kind of situation that really makes my blood boil.\u00a0 How many customers has she upset in the past \u2013 or will she upset in the future?\r\n

Consider this:<\/h3>\r\n