I was traveling this past Wednesday with my Senior Product Executive in Tulsa, OK. Just as we were about to board to return to Houston, she realized she had left her credit card at a local restaurant. She called the restaurant, and thankfully they had her card, but she could not seem to get anyone there to understand she needed her card sent to her in Houston.
Of course, this made sense–she was just a voice on the phone, after all. How were they supposed to know she was who she said she was? The next day, she talked to the restaurant manager, who was able to ask additional questions and satisfy the issue of her identity. The manager was sympathetic to her need to get the card back ASAP, and explained they would send it through FedEx to our offices.
On Friday, we closed the whole office and went to lunch–something we do each month. Upon our return, we learned FedEx had attempted to deliver the package, and since no one was there to sign for it, they had sent it back to the Ship Center, where it would be available to pick up after 7:30. We made a quick call, and the Ship Center said since the package was addressed to a business, anyone with a business card identifying them as a business employee and a corresponding ID would be able to pick up the package. This was important for two reasons: one, my Product Executive had a lot of things to take care of in preparation for leaving town for a big conference; and two, she lives across town–and Houston is a pretty big town to cross, let me tell you. I told her I would be happy to pick up the package for her.
Friday at 7:30, I entered the FedEx Ship Center off Sam Houston Parkway. I provided the tracking number, my business card, and my ID. The customer service rep said the package required a signature and I was not the person named on the package. I explained we had called and been assured my ID and business card would allow me to retrieve the package. He quickly informed me he could not allow me to take the package. Since it required a signature and a specific person was named, only that person could accept the package at the Ship Center. However, if the package had been delivered to our offices, then I could have signed for it.
Now think about that for a minute. I am authorized to accept this package in my office, but not at their ship center. I could be a guest sitting the lobby of our office and sign for it, and FedEx would gladly give up the package, but in their Ship Center, with proper ID, sorry, their security procedures will not allow this.
It is really maddening when companies provide such poor customer service. First, whoever told us I would be able to pick up the package was just wrong. Maybe they were poorly trained. Maybe they didn’t know and so just said it was OK. Or maybe they thought the policy would actually allow it. It doesn’t matter. Real people make real decisions based on the information they receive, and when that information is faulty, it is all the more damaging. If the FedEx support rep had simply told us only the named person could sign for it, then my Product Executive would have made the trip, and everything would have turned out fine. But since the Ship Center closed at 8:00, once she learned I would not be able to retrieve the package, there wasn’t enough time for her to do so instead.
Second, if you are going to have this uber-strict security policy, at least make it consistent across delivery channels. Allowing someone with no ID who happens to be standing in an office to sign for a package, yet denying someone with ID in the Ship Center, is incongruous. I don’t know if USPS or UPS’ policies are any different, but I do know I will be using them more in the future, so maybe I’ll find out.
What about your delivery of services and, more importantly, the information you deliver via customer service? What are you doing to check if your policies lack congruity or provide a poor customer experience? How can you check the information you are giving to make sure you are not steering your customers in the wrong direction? It doesn’t take much to lose the trust of a good customer. They will stop believing you know what you’re talking about, and subsequently expect you to deliver bad experiences. Don’t leave these mission-critical areas up to chance.