When will companies learn that while they can outsource services, they can’t abdicate ownership of how those services perform (or don’t!)?
I thought of this while listening to the announcements at a United airport gate, as they loaded a plane emblazoned with United logos, boarding people who purchased United tickets. “The carrier, Air Wisconsin, will not allow any roller bags or large carry-ons,” the agent said. As if United had no involvement in the decision and would have allowed them if it was a United plane.
It happened again yesterday while trying to purchase an online gift card. The customer care representative at Total Wine threw their outside payment processor under the bus, shifting full blame for the outage to them instead of apologizing that “we” were unable to fulfill your purchase. Do I even know the name of their vendor? No. Did I attribute the poor service to Total Wine? Absolutely.
Outsourcing makes sense in many situations and allows companies to benefit from the specialized expertise of others. But never forget that the customers are yours, as is the ownership and responsibility to manage the whole experience as if you were the one providing it. There is no “they.”
