Thinking Aloud: Designed to be ordinary

Are your processes designed to be ordinary? Even when you have a chance to be Extra-Ordinary?

It is a question that is worth asking. At the heart of this matter are other related questions:
Whose job is it to design the processes? Are they trained to "give extra-ordinary service" or merely "make sure there aren't any loopholes and liabilities (or extra work, even)"?

Here are some quick examples from my personal experiences:

Premium Car Salesman (Process written by Accountants): "Sir, we can't accept cheques. Even if it is a company cheque. The accounts department won't accept it".
>> Result: After spending 3 full days selling me the car; and after I wrote him a cheque, lost it in 3 minutes. Competitor closed the sale the next morning, delivered the car and cashed the cheque (100% payment) within an hour.

American Express No Limits Charge Card Customer Service (Process written by Risk Managers): "Sir, I can see from your history that you've been our customer with an impeccable record for 6 years. But we consider your last purchase a risky one - even though it is within your normal spending levels - and the process requires an interim payment before we let you use the card again".
>> Result. I've not only cancelled the card; but also declined all Amex offers for the last 12 years. I doubt I'll ever be their customer again.

See the pattern? The persons in front of the customer could see that their process hindered their business. But they were not empowered by their company to delight a customer / close a deal. They were well within their rights to do what they did. Just as I am well within my rights to reject them.

Pure desk jockeys make poor process designers - no matter their fancy designations. Your processes should be written (and constantly reviewed) by people who interact with customers on a daily basis.

You should hire smart people to interact with customers (sales, service, ...). Empower them to take decisions that delight the customer. Educate them about risks and hand them the risk-evaluation tools and help them to make good decisions. Most importantly, track their successes and learn from the kind of decisions they are making to help customers.

You might take a hit occasionally; but you will stand an excellent chance to be extra-ordinary. Alternatively, you might just want stick to ordinary. Reject mediocrity or accept it. Your choice.

Disclosure: This post was prompted by the behavior of American Airlines agents at Las Vegas who let 3 opportunities to help me pass by even as I asked for help repeatedly; and when I finally missed my flight, acted as they were trained: