Behind The Counter
What “the system is down” is usually describing
The phrase covers at least five distinct failures, and which one it is decides whether waiting ten minutes…
· 4 min read
Behind The Counter
What is happening on the other side while you wait.
20 articles · page 1 of 2
Behind The Counter
Why the person at the counter cannot override the system
The refusal is usually literal rather than diplomatic, and understanding why changes what you should ask for next.
By Tanmay Ghosh · · 4 min read
Behind The Counter
Why you are asked the same question three times in one visit
Repetition at a counter is usually three different questions wearing identical words, and each one is doing…
· 4 min read
Behind The Counter
The script exists to protect you as much as the person reading it
Scripted service sounds like a refusal to think, and parts of it are actually a set of obligations being…
· 3 min read
Behind The Counter
Why the counter stops serving before the door is locked
Closing time on the door and the last moment a transaction can start are two different times, for reasons…
· 4 min read
Behind The Counter
Why an appointment slot is the length it is
The number of minutes on your letter was derived from throughput and variance across hundreds of visits…
· 4 min read
Behind The Counter
Why a transferred call starts again from the beginning
Routing decides who answers, and the same routing machinery explains why almost nothing you said to the…
· 4 min read
Behind The Counter
What escalation actually changes
Escalating a case moves it to a different desk with different permissions and a different queue, which is…
· 4 min read
Behind The Counter
The self-service machine moved the work rather than removing it
Automating a counter transfers effort to the customer and concentrates the exceptions, which is why the…
· 3 min read
Behind The Counter
Opening hours are an arithmetic problem before they are a choice
Published hours are the output of a rota, and the rota is solving for coverage, breaks and demand rather…
· 4 min read
Behind The Counter
Why one department cannot see what another department holds
Large organisations are rarely one system, and the boundaries between their records are as often deliberate…
· 4 min read
Behind The Counter
What “we’ll be in touch” is actually committing to
The phrase stands in for a target, a queue position and a contact method, and only one of those three is…
· 3 min read