Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/983171
W EEKLY EDITION MAY 16, 2018 Dealing with Customers You Don't Want to Serve …continued By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director • Denial due to danger. If you determine there is no safe location on which to place units yo u can deny service on the basis of danger to users or your service team. It's best to have this policy spelled out in advance and, if the situation arises, you clearly state that you are refusing to serve the customer due to the dangerous conditions that y ou articulate (e.g., the ground isn't stable, there is nowhere for your service truck to park, the protesters are waving guns or throwing bottles, etc.) Citing a clear danger that any reasonable person would understand to be hazardous will make it easier to defend your decision and make it harder to see your denial of service as discrimination. These are just a few examples; there may be other scenarios under which it is okay to deny service. However, remember that the onus is on you, as the business owne r, to make sure you are not breaking any laws or violating Constitutional rights. States, counties, and municipalities may have additional laws of which you need to be aware. Make it your business to know what they are. Be proactive. The worst time to de cide you want to deny service is when you are faced with an ambiguous situation and the customer needs an answer. The recent case in Kentucky is a good example. Maybe the company doesn't want to be associated with protests of any kind and didn't realize wh at the unit was for when they agreed to provide it. If that's the case, it's their misfortune that the refusal turned into a media firestorm. Here are some things they could have done – and that you can do – to avoid the situation. • Have policies clearly s tating your service area and the types of services you provide. If there are services you don't provide or scenarios you never want to be in (e.g., no units for weddings or children's birthday parties, no pumping RV tanks, no high rise building projects) m ake sure this is clearly stated in written policies and the policies have a date on them. • Train your staff to recognize when they can and should deny service based on your policies, and when they cannot. Help them out by giving the sales team a checklist of questions to ask when the order is placed. If you don't do weddings, birthday parties, or protests, the person taking the order should ask about that up front and explain your policies proactively. Teach your service and delivery drivers to recognize da ngerous situations and how to communicate about them in a non - discriminatory way. P AGE 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 5