Andrew Mackie, business catalyst

More harm than good

Today I received a handwritten note from a local real estate agent informing me that she has 'a genuine buyer looking for a property in this vicinity'. I was impressed by the time and attention she had given me until I realised that it was a photocopy, made on coloured paper to appear genuine. I don't like being taken for a ride - even one that lasts only a few seconds - and most definitely will not be trusting her with the sale of my house.

On the weekend I needed to use a service station restroom but didn’t need fuel. As I was deciding what unnecessary item I would buy from the service station store in reciprocation, I encountered a sign sternly informing me that toilets were for customer use only. As I don’t pay for the use of toilets, I felt relieved of the need to reciprocate and left without buying anything at all.

Last week I visited a tea shop. Below every display of teapots and other expensive items were signs informing me that if I broke anything I must pay for it. I had assumed that this was the case before I read the sign - now I felt accused of being both careless and unwilling to take responsibility for my actions. Instead of freely touching and interacting with the beautiful teapots - a commitment/consistency step toward purchase - I stood at the same respectful distance I would give priceless Ming Dynasty china in a museum.

More harm than good.

You sort it out.

This sign greeted me at a Sydney train station last week:

Be heat smart on the train this summer.

We know that it can become hot on the train in summer. At Cityrail, we want you to enjoy your trip and be as comfortable as possible, so please take note of these summer travel tips:

• If you do feel unwell, don’t get on a train. Ask a member of staff for help.
• If you are on a train and feel unwell, get off at the next station, where help can be called upon more easily.
• Always carry a bottle of water with you.

Here's my translation:

Because Sydney’s hot in summer and we haven’t air-conditioned some of our trains, using our service may lead to heat exhaustion. You sort it out.

Telling the truth to your customers is essential. Knowing, however, that you have a serious problem and ignoring it won’t win you any new customers. Cityrail should fix their problem and provide advice in the interim::

Every train in our fleet will be air-conditioned by 2009. In the meantime, we apologise that some of our trains can be hot in the summer – please take these precautions:

• If you do feel unwell, don’t get on a train. Ask a member of staff for help.
• If you are on a train and feel unwell, get off at the next station, where help can be called upon more easily.
• Always carry a bottle of water with you.

Do you force customers to sort out your problems? If you don’t know the answer to a customer’s problem, can your customer help you solve it? Where problems are endemic, can your customers help you prioritise your solutions?