I can’t blame the support rep from India for suggesting I pirate their software. I cannot blame the sales rep for pushing me to upgrade, and ignoring the root of my problem. They’re all pieces of the puzzle, and are all informed of only what they need to know. But to truly make an impact, you have to bring a human element back into the game. Most people genuinely want to help. When their hands are tied, they aren’t acting human any more. You have to allow your employees some sort of freedom to help customers in need, Adobe. You’re making it difficult for your employees to succeed, and for your customers to be humbled by your support.
That’s the missing piece for every big company support team I’ve dealt with. Even when the support rep wants to help, company policy limits what they can do.
The solution? Don’t burden your team with a ton of policies. Hire great people and then trust them to help your customers.
Don’t think a big company can do this? Here’s proof that big companies can – “Lessons from Southwest Airlines“.