No big deal or end of the world?

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This is just a thought in customer experience.

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People don’t get upset because of the problem.
They get upset because the problem is minimized.

When someone feels dismissed, even a small issue can turn into a full-blown crusade.

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Picture this.

You’re staying at a hotel. The air conditioning doesn’t work properly. You call reception.

They reply: Yes, we know. Someone will fix it next week.

(You’re checking out tomorrow.)

Maybe open the window?
‍(down to that noisy, busy street)

Not a word of apology or empathy. Just logistics.

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What was a mild annoyance, sleeping at 27°C instead of your ideal 20.5°C, suddenly feels the end of the world.

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Jean-Louis Gassée, who used to run Apple France, describes this situation as the choice of the two tokens. When you deal with people who have trouble, you can either choose to taken the token that says “it’s no big deal” or the token that says “it’s the end of the world”. Whichever token you pick, they’ll take the other.

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The hotel staff in the example above clearly took the “it’s no big deal” token, and as a result forced you to take the “it’s the end of the world” token. But they could just as well have made the opposite choice.

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Imagine this response instead:

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"We’re so sorry. That’s clearly unacceptable! I completely understand how it must be almost impossible to sleep when it’s so hot in your room.

If I can’t fix this problem for you tonight, would you like me to refund your stay and help you find a different hotel room nearby?

In any case, while we’re figuring out the solution, allow me to send up a bottle of ice water and some ice cream. We’re terribly sorry for this ordeal and we’ll do everything to make it right."

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With that answer, it’s almost impossible to escalate.

You’re nudged into taking the “it’s no big deal” token yourself.

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Everyone wants to be heard and respected. It usually doesn’t cost much to do either. And it doesn’t really matter all that much whether you ultimately think you’re right and they’re wrong. Arguing with heated feelings will just increase the burn.

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Keep that in mind the next time you take a token. Which one are you leaving for the customer?

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If you have thoughts, feedback, or questions, we’d genuinely like to hear them. Reach out directly to the author, Dejan Georgiev at: dejan.georgiev@uliasti.com

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