Claire writes, “Years ago, I worked for an organisation that recruited volunteers to work abroad. My manager had a T card grid on his wall. As people moved from enquiring, to being interviewed, trained and then arriving in their placement, their card would move slowly to the right hand side.
For some people, the process was smooth and there were very few calls or letters (in those days) exchanged beyond the essentials. And then there were people who would make contact to clarify something. And those who made contact a lot. Even when all the extra questions were legitimate, people who made extra contact more than 7 times rarely completed their contract once they arrived in their placement. We called it a moan factor.
As a business owner, I think about that from time to time and recognise that some pieces of work with a high moan factor may need a different kind of decision.”