For the past few months I have been watching with interest a case in which a Telkom employee twiddled his thumbs at home during six months of suspension, sat through a laborious disciplinary hearing and was eventually dismissed from his job just for trying to help two of his customers.
In short, both of these customers were having problems with wireless routers they had bought from computer shops and which were refusing to connect with new Telkom ADSL services being installed. In both cases, the Telkom technicians suggested to the customers that they ask their nearest Telkom shop if they could borrow a Telkom wireless router just to check whether the problem lay with the router or with the ADSL line.
In both cases the customers popped in to their nearest Telkom shop, asked the question and were both told the same thing. No, they could not loan out a new router (they’re worth about R700) because that new router would then become a second hand router. Quite right. No problem.
But then, the Telkom employee in an effort to help the customers said that he had a second hand router in stock, an older model that was no longer sold. If the customers were happy to use that to test their ADSL systems, he would lend that to them.
They did, the routers worked and both customers subsequently bought Telkom routers.
The big mistake the Telkom employee made, however, was forgetting to get the customers to sign for the second hand loan unit. Probably because of the huge hassles they’d had getting their ADSL service, he knew them both very well and didn’t see the risk.
Both customers ended up happy; however, the Telkom employee was dismissed for lending out Telkom equipment without getting permission from his boss.
A sad, sick, situation to say the least.
And what Telkom seems to have forgotten, in this case, is that empowerment is not just about giving black people jobs but rather giving everyone who has a job the power to use their initiative to do the job to the best of their ability. So, not only is Telkom guilty of draconian management but also for working completely against the spirit of true empowerment.
Now, while Telkom might well be within its rights to take action against someone for what appears to be such a minor offence, they will never become world class if they continue to cling to such a drastic, conservative and bureaucratic policies.
I remember the chairman of BMW Group, Eberhardt von Kuenheim, explaining to me that in today’s globally competitive world, any company that did not allow for manageable risk, was doomed to failure.
He insisted that BMW managers and front line employees not only be allowed to make mistakes but should be encouraged to make mistakes.
The problem with the dictatorial approach of not allowing employees to occasionally break the rules and punishing them for every little mistake is that they become so terrified of getting into trouble that they become very defensive in dealing with customers and simply find it safer and far less career threatening to just keep saying no or passing the buck.
By encouraging employees to make mistakes, but certainly not allowing them to keep making the same mistake over and over again, staff at least feel that they are empowered to provide top class customer service. They gain in confidence and get used to using their common sense and initiative.
All of which means that the company starts providing better and better service to its external and internal customers.
Sadly, the Telkom shop in question had a wonderful reputation for good service and friendliness in the community it serves. Since one of their staff was fired, it is interesting to see that the whole climate there has changed completely. Nowadays no-one goes an extra inch, let alone an extra mile, to help customers.
One can understand the need for a company like Telkom to cut down on crime within its organisation. But, its reaction to someone who was simply trying to provide good customer service was far too drastic and sends completely the wrong message to the rest of their staff.
The only positive aspect of this sad customer service case history is that some lucky private sector company is going to end up employing this former Telkom staffer who will probably end up as rich as Croesus because in spite of having been punished for doing the right thing, he at least understands the power and potential of going the extra mile in customer service.
