No exceptions

Hopscotch deliveries are subject to certain rules. We won’t buy cigarettes for you from the shop next door. We won’t drop something off to your friend en route. You can’t pay by cheque when we arrive. We also have procedures governing how we interact with the partner merchants on our site.

“I know this is how you normally do things,” you’ll say, “but can you folks bend the rules just this once?” The answer is typically no, we can’t. “How about if I pay extra?” Still no.

This may seem silly or arrogant. If the request is a one-off, shouldn’t we try to accommodate it? Aren’t we turning people off, and turning money down? Aren’t we angering longstanding customers? Maybe, but in my experience, bending the rules is rarely worth it.

The systems we’ve put in place are there for a reason. Over time and through much trial and error, we’ve discovered ways of doing business that allow our operation to run smoothly. We’ve codified these procedures in written documentation for the benefit of employees, contractors, and business partners. We’ve built infrastructure to enforce them. In many cases, automated systems responsible for data recording, supplier payments, and customer invoicing rely on them. When things go according to plan, everyone benefits, including customers.

When we break a rule, the effects tend to cascade. Whoever made the exception needs to ensure that everyone and every system in the chain is aware of it. Of course, as operations grow more complex, the exception-maker herself is increasingly unlikely to be aware of all the repercussions. Habit being what it is, someone in the chain is also liable to forget to do things differently this time, or to make a mistake. Untested exceptions may cause automated systems to fail.

And precedents are dangerous things. Breaking a rule lets people know that it can in fact, with a little effort, be broken. Many will then feel entitled to ask again. That’s why contracts often contain a reminder that failure to follow the letter of the agreement on one occasion doesn’t extinguish the right to do so in the future. Otherwise, people quickly start mistaking the exception for the rule.

And what’s the pay-off for all this trouble? Usually, very little. If you’re lucky, you’ll earn some goodwill, but the petitioner typically isn’t there afterwards when you’re cleaning up the mess. And they’re often unforgiving when the favour you granted with the best of intentions doesn’t go according to plan.

I don’t mean to suggest that in the real world, a “no exceptions” policy can truly be set in stone. We do consider exceptions, partly because when enough people ask for the same one, it may mean that our procedures are flawed in some way, or that there’s some other business opportunity knocking. Sometimes, for a big client or valued customer, the pay-off is also worth it. And sometimes the exception really is so small that its effects are isolated.

But we’re extremely careful with doing things differently “just this once”. The cost is rarely what it seems.