Where did it break?
“We’ll do it for free.”
A frustrated client, a well-meaning team member and a promise nobody was allowed to make. Where did this promise break?
An illustrative scenario. Names and details are invented; the pattern is common.
A long-standing client is unhappy. Last month’s service slipped twice, and they say so, loudly, to the team lead on site.
The team lead wants to fix it on the spot. They say:
“I’m sorry. We’ll do the warehouse floor this weekend, no charge.”
The client calms down. The team lead mentions it to the owner in a voice note on Friday evening.
The warehouse floor is a paid add-on, and it takes a full crew most of a Saturday. Nobody has been scheduled. The client is expecting it.
Where did this promise break?
Pick the letter of the ERMODA Check where it went wrong.
Show the answer
It broke at R · Right people: Who needed to agree, and did they?
The promise was clear, it had an owner and the work could be done. The problem was who made it. A team member committed the business to free work that only an account manager or the owner could approve, and nobody else knew until the weekend was already promised.
The fix
- Write down who may promise what: discounts, free work, new dates, refunds. One page is enough.
- Give the team a safe line to use instead: "Let me get that confirmed for you today."
- When an unauthorised promise has been made, decide quickly whether to honour it, and tell the client either way. Treat it as a gap in the rules, not a reason to blame the person.
Questions
Should we honour a promise a team member wasn't authorised to make?
Decide quickly and tell the client either way. Often honouring it protects the relationship; then fix the gap in the rules rather than blaming the person.