Carlzon argued that frontline employees must be empowered. If a customer has a problem, the employee should have the authority to solve it immediately, without seeking permission from a supervisor.
A Comprehensive Guide to Jan Carlzon’s Philosophy
Carlzon emphasized that to improve service, companies must accept a certain level of risk. Moments Of Truth Jan Carlzon Pdf
Before we discuss the PDF, we must define the term. Carlzon famously defined a "Moment of Truth" as:
"Anytime a customer comes into contact with any aspect of a business, however remote, they have an opportunity to form an impression." Carlzon argued that frontline employees must be empowered
He narrowed the focus further. For SAS, he calculated that in one year, the airline served approximately 10 million passengers. Each passenger interacted with five SAS employees for an average of 15 seconds per interaction. This meant that SAS was being "created" or "destroyed" in the customer's mind 50 million times a year—15 seconds at a time.
The math is stunning:
Carlzon argued that during those 15 seconds, the frontline employee—the ticket agent, the gate handler, the flight attendant—is the CEO. In that specific moment, no corporate directive or board resolution matters. Only the empathy and competence of that single employee matter.