Fable
Shield and Reception Desk
The line at the old teahouse entrance was too long, so the proprietor brought in a reception clerk. Standing at the door, the clerk could answer questions about tea prices, seating and signature snacks, and could also turn away people who had come to the wrong place. A few days later, the proprietor looked at only one number: how many guests did not go into the inner hall.
The numbers looked good, and the inner hall was much more relaxed. But there was also much grumbling outside the door: some people who had wanted to book a private room were turned away by a single 'fully booked today'; some whose tea leaves had gone moldy and wanted compensation were directed to the grocery store next door; and some regulars were so angry they never came back.
At first the shopkeeper praised the clerk for blocking people, but later when he checked the accounts, he discovered that fewer people entering the inner hall did not mean the problem was solved. Of the customers who were turned away, some did indeed complete things by self-service, but others simply gave up.
He kept two sets of books. One recorded how many matters that would originally have gone to the inner hall were resolved at the door; the other looked at how well the reception clerks themselves performed: whether their answers were accurate, whether customers were satisfied, and whether matters that should have been passed to the inner hall were passed along.
The shopkeeper first rewarded the clerk with an extra copper coin for every person kept out of the inner hall. The clerk quickly learned to block all complex questions at the door, even turning away regular customers who deserved an apology. The line got shorter, but the bookkeeper found that repeat customers had dwindled.
Later, the manager changed the ledger. Tea prices, seating and menus that could be handled at the door counted as good; compensation, reservations and complaints that should have gone to the inner hall but were blocked at the door had to be recorded as bad. The staff’s goal also changed from “let fewer people in” to “let simple matters be completed at the door and let difficult matters enter the inner hall accurately.” Reducing interruptions to the manager has value, provided the customer’s matter is actually handled.
Looking again at month's end, fewer people were turned away at the door, yet the inner hall was quieter and payouts were faster. The proprietor understood: if pretty numbers only prove that guests never came in, they may be driving trouble away; good reception depends on whether problems reach where they should go. Looking again at month's end, fewer people were turned away at the door, yet the inner hall was quieter and payouts were faster. The proprietor understood: if pretty numbers only prove that guests never came in, they may be driving trouble away; good reception depends on whether problems reach where they should go.
From then on, the clerks no longer took pride in blocking people. Good reception means letting simple matters be resolved at the door, and also letting complex matters enter smoothly. Counting only how many fewer people are in line mistakes "unresolved" for "saved."