Ever have an experience that made you think, “It was a lot better before they said anything!”?
I sure have—just the other day at an aquarium. It turned into a teachable moment, though, and I’m sharing it with you because it’s such a great reminder of why empowering your team to take ownership of the customer experience is absolutely essential.
Picture this: I’m watching my two sons hover over the open-air stingray tank as they wait for their turn to pet them. Suddenly, my four-year-old disappears! Like, he is legit gone as I watch from across the tank with my older son.
I dash around to find him on the ground near the tank with a big bump on his head. He had been walking on a ledge that goes around most of the tank — but not the entire tank. Turns out, he’d fallen right through the roughly 12-inch gap between the end of the ledge and the end of the curvature of the tank. My husband was only steps away, but also hadn’t noticed the weird drop on the kids-only rock ledge.
As I was holding my sobbing preschooler, a staff member watching from a chair nearby called out, “Hey! How old is he?” I was confused, thinking for sure I’d misheard her over his crying. She asked again, and I answered, “He’s four. Why?”
She held up a clipboard from her elevated, life-guard-style chair: “I have to keep track of all the falls. For management.” I was very confused. I said, “How often do kids fall here?”
She flipped around the clipboard to reveal a page with more than 20 lines of scribbled handwriting with checkmarks in boxes. “Lots,” she said. “This is just from today.”
It wasn’t even 3PM, and dozens of children had fallen. THAT. DAY. I asked, “If it’s so common, why don’t you put something there to block the gap? I’m sure there’s a trashcan nearby that would fit in there, or a caution cone or a folding sign. Anything to stop kids from getting hurt.” The solution was so obvious.
She answered flatly: “I’m not management. They’re deciding if they want to remodel the exhibit. My job is to record incidents. If he’s seriously injured, talk to customer service downstairs and they’ll file a report.” 😳
It took all of my restraint not to go Full Karen. Not at the exhibit attendant (who, as far as she was concerned, was doing her job and following orders), but at management, who was quite literally standing idly by while kids slipped and fell.
Instead of solving an immediate problem, management chose to collect data to make a decision about solving it later.
My son was fine, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the incident. Mostly because of what it illustrates about the power of team ownership in customer experience. Here was someone in a position to impact safety, yet all she felt empowered to do was… make a checkmark.
This is a classic example of what happens when team members are instructed to follow a script or an order instead of being empowered and encouraged to use their own judgment to solve problems.
Customer-facing or not, every single person on your team serves as the Acting Chief of Experience. Customers make (and share!) decisions based on every interaction they have with your team. You’d better believe I’ll be thinking about that incident when it comes time to renew my membership.
So, how can you make sure every member of your team is fully engaged and not just taking orders (or making tally marks)?
Three Steps to Empower Your Team
Communicate Clear Values, Not Just Rules
Rules are important, but when team members understand why a rule exists and how it aligns with the company’s goals, they’re more likely to care and take the right actions. When your team knows that making customers safe and happy is a top priority, they’ll focus less on “doing their job” and more on exceeding customers’ expectations. If they don’t feel valued, they won’t make customers feel valued. Period.
Encourage Proactive Problem Solving
Give your team the tools and trust to take action in the moment. Create guidelines, but also let them know they’re trusted to find creative solutions on the spot. When they see an issue, they should feel empowered to solve it rather than wait for approval or worse, just report it. Consider setting a monetary amount they can adjust or discount to satisfy a customer without getting permission. Empowering them this way can speed up solutions and enhance the customer’s experience.
Showcase and Reward Great Problem Solvers
Celebrate team members who go above and beyond. Show appreciation for proactive problem-solvers, and tell their stories to inspire others. Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool to build a customer-focused culture. As this example proves, it doesn’t take a huge expense (or even a huge effort) to solve a problem. The stingray exhibit might benefit from a full redesign some day, but today, a strategically-placed trash can would have kept kids from getting hurt.
Remember, it’s not just about solving one problem or closing one (metaphorical or literal!) gap; it’s about creating a culture where your team is inspired and empowered to deliver exceptional experiences without needing permission. After all, no customer wants to feel like they’re just another checkmark on a clipboard!
