Feature Article:
Maintaining Superior Service
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Feature Article: Maintaining Superior Service |
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Complaints Inside the Organization Sometimes the most important complaints an organization can receive are the ones that come from inside the company. These complainers be called "whistle blowers," or "rats" by the people who are being exposed. But they give a valuable gift to the organization. The term that is used in organization is "ombudsman," the Swedish term coined to describe government employees who made complaints about civil bureaucracy. It's an idea whose time has come. The Corporate Ombudsman Association (whose membership list is not available) was formed almost 10 years ago now, and it serves as an opportunity for major corporations and governmental organizations to discuss near misses, scandals avoided, and to all acknowledge that these programs are worth much more than they cost. Just ask the Japanese tire company if an Ombudsman program might have helped them. No one likes to hear bad news but the moment that message is penetrated through the organization, staff will generally not tell anyone about problems they observe. The long-term benefits of averting a major public problem are not sufficient to overcome the short-term reaction of someone who doesn't want to hear about problems. In reality, people who alert senior management to situations involving sexual harassment, problems with production, cheating, customer feedback, dumping of hazardous wastes, or safety issues are the organization's best friend. In addition to identifying potential and real problems, ombudsmen (frequently in the form of a toll-free number) can avert staff problems that affect morale. Most people need to know there is someplace to pass on information to be able to sleep well at night. A large number of
staff feel committed to their organizations and they feel frustrated when
they can't let someone know about a problem they see brewing. If you don't
give them an opportunity to do so inside the organization, they speak
up and let the media know. That's not the best way to learn about problems!
Janelle Barlow, Coauthor
Note: We have been getting e-mail from our readers asking us to list the names of the companies who get complaints. Our policy is to never list names. The reason for this is because every company fails from time to time, and we wouldn't want to tar some company's name just because of one bad example. Furthermore, we are dependant upon the writer's side of the story. We don't know for sure what happened, and in the name of fairness, we will not post names. Furthermore, the purpose of this corner is not to pass complaints along to corporations. This Complaint Is a Gift corner is designed to look at examples of good and bad complaint handling so we can learn from these experiences. Please, if you have a direct complaint you want a company to learn about, contact them directly. In many cases, we have never heard of the company in question and have no idea how to reach them. Janelle Barlow |
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