“My life insurance was stopped when?!!!” were the words I used with a John Hancock agent this week as she told me they changed their policy and were no longer pulling monthly fees from my credit card. My response was, “Were you going to tell me so I didn’t put my family at risk?” Her response, “We mailed you something. It’s not our process to call customers. It’s your responsibility to check your account.” I could almost sense the “gotcha” in her voice. Furious, I demanded to speak to a supervisor who eventually delivered a resounding, “Sorry sir, that’s our policy.”

Next step…the full-blown manager and department head. Just as I wound myself up like a Jack in the Box prepared to once again eloquently and pathetically express my frustration, a woman warmly and calmly greeted me, asked me three questions, then said, “No problem, we will take care of it.” I hadn’t even had time tell her how I REALLY felt when she made it “all better.”  So what was the difference between associates one and two, and the eventual “solution” representative? Well I believe this woman, like all great service associates, EXPECTS to find a solution every time she faces an issue. Her desire to serve the customer outweighed her desire to serve the “policy.”

So this week, when faced with the challenge of doing the right thing for the customer, or doing the right thing for the “policy,” pick the customer. Or that customer just might take his “policy” somewhere else!