tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29020225.post129584643731533608..comments2023-11-08T08:32:41.971-05:00Comments on Improving It: Banks - win a credit card dispute and lose brand integrityPhil Ayreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14708790980510403134noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29020225.post-50855666169439522992010-04-12T11:55:25.442-04:002010-04-12T11:55:25.442-04:00While the concept in both the post and Roger's...While the concept in both the post and Roger's comment is unarguable - it doesn't make sense in the precise context. A disputed transaction is recovered from the merchant via their merchant acquirer therefore the base incentive for the card-holder's bank is actually to capitulate immediately.<br /><br />However, there is a startling lack of delegation within most banks - so the pain of going through the steps and tying up the layers of call-centre hierarchy may force teams down the 'fob them off' route. Of course, we also have to factor in the deliberately appalling customer service we have come to expect as our just reward for giving them our business!Surreptitious Evilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15393411103584747731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29020225.post-73974165710792073022010-04-05T08:41:41.734-04:002010-04-05T08:41:41.734-04:00This is an excellent specific example of a very ge...This is an excellent specific example of a very general, serious ailment currently affecting many businesses: the Key Performance Indicator, or KPI.<br /><br />The basic idea of a KPI is to drive improvement by making performance measurable. Where this goes horribly wrong -- and in my experience, it nearly always goes horribly wrong -- is that it is very, very difficult to distill a complex service or job down into a single number in a sensible manner.<br /><br />Instead, the (probably harried) supervisor comes up with the first half-sensible KPI he can think of, the employee agrees to it because he doesn't want to rock the boat and hasn't time to spend a few days analysing it, and another pit is prepared for unwary feet.<br /><br />At this point, one of two things will happen:<br />a) a diligent and honest employee will ignore the perverse misfeatures of the KPI and just do his job as well as he is able. As a result, at salary review time he will be punished for his honesty, eventually become disgruntled, and leave. OR<br />b) a cunning and sociopathic employee will rules-lawyer the KPI to death and achieve maximal annual bonuses whilst leaving behind a trail of carnage.Rogernoreply@blogger.com