Snap out of corporate policy mode →

When Jason Fried ran out of contacts while traveling, he went to a Target eye clinic. Instead of being a stickler for policy—Fried’s contact lens prescription had technically expired—Ron from Target simply gave him a set of trial lenses at no charge.

Ron is a very reasonable man. He considered the situation, considered the risk, and did the reasonable thing. He helped someone out who was stuck in a bind. He imagined what it would be like if he was in my shoes, and I was behind the desk instead. He’d want from me what I asked of him. That’s the best service you can ever give.

It made me think about our business. We should be Ron. We all should be more like Ron.Snap out of corporate policy mode, and act under the good neighbor code.

Emphasis in the original.

Whether you run an eye clinic or a software startup or a nonprofit, the role of customer service is the same: to solve the customer’s problem. It doesn’t really matter if you caused the problem. What’s important is that you fix it. Your customers will remember you fondly if you do—and feel bitter towards you if you don’t.

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