This is a true story – believe it or not.

Loaded down with laptop, projector, and luggage I hopped on the bus to the long-term car park at Sydney Airport. Stupid, stupid me, left my suitcase on the kerb. Of course, I realise this at the car park when I start looking for my ticket.

The operator at the gate refuses to deal with ‘my problem’ and asks me to go to the back of the line because there is paperwork to complete. I leave my license but head to the back of the queue – steaming. About 5 minutes later I am 2 cars away from being ‘served’ when the computer crashes. It takes about 10 minutes to get back up and she refuses to let anyone out until the systems is working and she asks me to back up and let everyone else through – new queue has built up, you see.

I try to explain: There is suitcase on the pavement outside the terminal. Someone will notice it and they will (should) treat it as a suspicious piece of luggage. I just want to drive back quickly... you have my license ma’am... please let me just go back before they blow up my suitcase.

No chance.

Please go to the back of the line. By now there are 2 extra bus loads of people and the line is interminable. My partner had hopped on another bus and rushed back in the meantime to try and rescue the situation.

I have visions of the Airport being evacuated and all flights diverted to Melbourne. I can see the SWAT team approaching my suitcase with great caution – maybe even using a little robot to place explosives next to it. I am worried. Is there any identification in the bag to that will point to me? Will the Airport Corporation try and recover the $1m or more from me?

The queue just does not end, and about 40 minutes later I just join the queue anyway and crawl to the front.  This time I insist. This time the words ‘bomb’ and ‘million dollars’ probably register, because she makes me sign the form and I pay my $35 fee. It takes about 30 seconds. I rush to the airport and find my partner there with the offending piece of luggage.

She was just abiding by a rule that reads: Under no circumstance is a customer with lost ticket allowed to leave the premises without signing form 51.b. (or whatever.)

• I wonder if the manager who made this rule really thought deeply about it?
• I wonder how many rules like that exist in retail businesses?
• I wonder how many people rely on rules rather than empower their staff and/or encourage them to make a personal assessment of the issue at hand?

As an aside: The fact that the piece of luggage was NOT treated as suspicious and that they simply checked the still attached bag tag and called my partner may SEEM like great customer service but scares me quite bit! Do they really know what potential threats look like? It makes their ridiculously sensisiteve metal detectors a big joke if they treat a piece of lost luggage like, well, a piece of lost luggage.

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I have an interesting post about positioning retail stores here. I use this picture to explain the concept.

This is a post aimed at retailers and centre managers.

It is based on our experience in training YOUR frontline staff in the art of delivering customer service.

If you really, REALLY want your cleaners, your security guards, and your employees to deliver great customer service, this is what you must do:

Stop treating them like they are invisible.

When they line up at your counter to buy a coffee, don’t overlook them to serve a ‘real customer’ first.

When you walk past them on the floor, why don’t you make eye-contact and smile for a change; instead of simply reminding them that there is rubbish bin to be emptied.

Next time you talk, see if you know their name without having to glance at their badges.

You may be surprised to discover that some of these people have amazing talents and amazing stories. We have discovered representative sportsmen and semi-professional musicians. We have discovered snake breeders and single parents and stand-up comedians. In short, people just like you and me.

If you could be bothered to make them visible, they may be bothered to believe you when you say customer service is important.

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OK, that is off my chest now. (Sorry, but it had be said.)

If you want some contrarian views about a wide range of topics, including the internet, check this out.

If you want to read about stockturns (including some stats), check this out.

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Have fun

Dennis