Avoiding the Creation of Double Agents

The double agent problem comes from a conflict between the company and the customer, with the employee stuck in the middle. The ultimate solution for any company trying to provide outstanding customer service is to identify these harmful pressures and neutralise them as much as possible. It should be easy and natural for an employee to want to do the right thing for both the customer and the company.

Here is a short summary to help employees avoid becoming double agents:

• Avoid policies that are certain to anger customers and require your employees to face their displeasure
• Whenever possible, allow employees to use their discretion when carrying out corporate policies; give them the flexibility to meet the needs of the company and the customer
• Look beyond a single transaction to consider the lifetime value of a customer when setting restrictive policies or implementing new fees
• Trust that the vast majority of your employees and customers are not trying to take advantage of you
• Make sure employee are adequately monitored so that you can guide their performance
• Identify and eliminate incentives that may cause employees to act against the company's best interests
• Spend considerable time interacting with employees and customers, to avoid becoming insulated from reality when making policy decisions