Systems not rules - Favorite quote of the day

April 29, 2008 · Filed Under Business, Change, Culture, Quote of the Day · Comments 

I just wrapped up the first read of a book a friend of mine gave me - called Raving Fans. This is book about turning good customer service into Raving Fan service. Here’s a quote that really struck me,

What we have are systems. Not rules. Rules create robots. Not systems. Systems are predetermined ways to achieve results. The emphasis has to be on achieving the result, not the system for the system’s sake. That’s the difference between systems and rules. With a rule the emphasis is on the procedure, not necessarily the result. We have rules about smoking within ten feet of a gasoline pump. We have systems for delivering service.

The purpose of of systems is to ensure consistency, not create robots. Rules do that. Our team members have to create the Raving Fanexperience for our customers every time. Systems give you a floor, not a ceiling…

I know I have been guilty of allowing a system to turn into a procedure, a rule rather than a reason why. You must understand that vision helps you keep perspective. Systems have to be flexible because the world is always changing whether you like it or not. The system helps you keep consistency and deliver a consistent service level - the system itself is NOT the service level; That is an important distinction.

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