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In reading through these posts, I see a lot of grousing. The customers are grousing about lousy customer service. The retailers are grousing about rotten customers. And, in a lot of cases, the grousing seems well justified.
Sooooooo I thought, do we ever compliment GOOD service? Have you encountered a retail clerk or grocery bagger or Wal-Mart greeter who's been absolutely wonderful? How about someone at a call center or when trying to phone your cable company?
Have you ever contacted corporate or management to compliment an employee?
I generally try to "let it go" when I get rotten customer service. However, if it's over-the-top bad, I'll complain. By the same token, if it's over-the-top good, I'll go to management with that info, too. I figure they should know, working on the whole positive reinforcement theory. I also let the employee know I'll be telling management (in case management "forgets" to mention it).
I've had several opportunities in the past three months to compliment outstanding service and I made sure to do so. It felt good and I think management appreciated it. I hope they communicated things to the employees.
So, how about you? Do you ever compliment the good?
Absolutely - I have definitely commented to management about outstanding service. Haven't done so in awhile though so thanks for the reminder - I'll have to be sure to be on the lookout for opportunities to do so.
I will use my favorite phrase I use at work after a great customer call is completed where in the customer praises how great I was, "don't tell me tell my boss." customers never hears that but it is the truth. It doesn't do thing anything but make me feel good about the service I provided to hear a compliment from a customer. REALLY want to help your service person feel great and to continue their job... tell them then tell thier boss!
PLEASE I beg you. Even if it is just good basic clean efficient service, nothing out of the ordernary. Do it! Call centers are the hardest work and least likely to recieve gratitude through supervisors.
I have been known to send in praise to online ordering websites. Never even talked to a person just placed order and recieved it. Everything went smooth as silk and I was grateful... so I emailed them and told them. I had a friend send me a gift basket from a company with a website. I recieve basket damage, I emailed them through thier site and they email bask with appology and sent a replacement. Once I got it I emailed them again how wonderful it was dealing with them and I thought that thier service was above excellence in achieving such a high standard.
If you have time enough to complain... you have time enough to praise. How else will companies know if they are doing a good job.
I will use my favorite phrase I use at work after a great customer call is completed where in the customer praises how great I was, "don't tell me tell my boss." customers never hears that but it is the truth. It doesn't do thing anything but make me feel good about the service I provided to hear a compliment from a customer. REALLY want to help your service person feel great and to continue their job... tell them then tell thier boss!
So, what you're looking for is a pat on the back from your boss? I'll remember that. If I heard "Don't tell me, tell my boss.", that would be the LAST time I offered a compliment to that person OR the boss.
People don't compliment to further your career. They compliment to let you know personally they appreciate the assistance you have given.
What is the problem with YOU knowing you did a good job?
I would say just as complaints to management are reserved for exceptionally bad service, compliments are for exceptionally good service (or consistently good service over time). Most everything in between is doing your job which is what both management and customers expect. If people made a point to comment to management every time someone was simply doing their job, there would be no point.
I would say just as complaints to management are reserved for exceptionally bad service, compliments are for exceptionally good service (or consistently good service over time). Most everything in between is doing your job which is what both management and customers expect. If people made a point to comment to management every time someone was simply doing their job, there would be no point.
Yes. That's why I said "over-the-top" good in the OP. I think regular good should be the norm.
If the bagger bags your groceries, puts them in your cart and says "Have a nice day!", that's good. If they bag, cart, wheel the cart to your car, put the groceries in the car, follows you home, takes them out and puts them away, that's "over-the-top". Or maybe it's stalking....
So, what you're looking for is a pat on the back from your boss? I'll remember that. If I heard "Don't tell me, tell my boss.", that would be the LAST time I offered a compliment to that person OR the boss.
People don't compliment to further your career. They compliment to let you know personally they appreciate the assistance you have given.
What is the problem with YOU knowing you did a good job?
there is nothing wrong with personally recieving a compliment. I get them constantly.
What I would hope for people to understand is that working in a call center your work is appraised on humber and ratios.
In my company I can take anywhere from 150-300+ calls in a 10 hour day depending on how busy we get. In a 40 hour work week that can average about.... lets say 200 calls 4 days = 800 a week which in turn goes into 4 weeks about 3200 calls a month.
I only get monitored for my appraisals 5 times total....A MONTH. not a day or a week but one Month. that plus my numbers ( talk time, hours at work not on the phone ) are the ONLY way they assess my job. Since my job is to be on the phone 40 hours. No other assessment is given in my job.
Now if you look at those number you can see if they monitor one bad call out of 3000+ calls during a month process that can lower my monthly score drasticly which can and will effect my annual. they also have other tiny tid bits that if you get a negative report from a customer that is on your record and after you get about 4 or 5 of them you are fired. They take customer call backs very seriously at my company. So, taking time to give a 'boss' the heads up on good customer service is a way I get appraised on. It become part of my annual review which is where can I get my raise.
Now my question is to anyone... if you got good service from someone why would you not want to take a few minutes to tell the boss and help that employee stay with that company so you can get that person again. Too many folks are so quick to try to get people fired, why not be just as deligent to help people stay hired? And I am not talking about generally good service, but the good service you think well enough to tell the employee why not tell the boss?
there is nothing wrong with personally recieving a compliment. I get them constantly.
What I would hope for people to understand is that working in a call center your work is appraised on humber and ratios.
In my company I can take anywhere from 150-300+ calls in a 10 hour day depending on how busy we get. In a 40 hour work week that can average about.... lets say 200 calls 4 days = 800 a week which in turn goes into 4 weeks about 3200 calls a month.
I only get monitored for my appraisals 5 times total....A MONTH. not a day or a week but one Month. that plus my numbers ( talk time, hours at work not on the phone ) are the ONLY way they assess my job. Since my job is to be on the phone 40 hours. No other assessment is given in my job.
Now if you look at those number you can see if they monitor one bad call out of 3000+ calls during a month process that can lower my monthly score drasticly which can and will effect my annual. they also have other tiny tid bits that if you get a negative report from a customer that is on your record and after you get about 4 or 5 of them you are fired. They take customer call backs very seriously at my company. So, taking time to give a 'boss' the heads up on good customer service is a way I get appraised on. It become part of my annual review which is where can I get my raise.
Now my question is to anyone... if you got good service from someone why would you not want to take a few minutes to tell the boss and help that employee stay with that company so you can get that person again. Too many folks are so quick to try to get people fired, why not be just as deligent to help people stay hired? And I am not talking about generally good service, but the good service you think well enough to tell the employee why not tell the boss?
You seem to be contradicting yourself....(or maybe I'm just not understanding....)..On the one hand you are saying "if you got good service...." why not tell the boss, then you follow up by saying you're not talking about "generally good service" but service you think is good enough to tell the boss. Which do you mean? Generally good experience, is what I expect. I would not take the time to speak to someone's manager (BTW, speaking as someone who has actually done this, finding the manager is not typically something that only takes a minute) over what I would consider someone doing their job. That is what a paycheck is for. OTOH, if I get EXCEPTIONAL service (someone doing more than they have to to stay employed - who obviously likes their job and truly cares about helping the customer I will make the effort to speak to the manager. Same as when I get less than wonderful service. If the service was simply lackluster and disappointing, I'll remember it but won't complain; if someone is truly rude/horrible whatever, I will complain to a manager.
...Generally good experience, is what I expect. I would not take the time to speak to someone's manager... over what I would consider someone doing their job. That is what a paycheck is for. OTOH, if I get EXCEPTIONAL service (someone doing more than they have to to stay employed - who obviously likes their job and truly cares about helping the customer I will make the effort to speak to the manager. Same as when I get less than wonderful service. If the service was simply lackluster and disappointing, I'll remember it but won't complain; if someone is truly rude/horrible whatever, I will complain to a manager.
Exactly.
People get paid to do their jobs, be it in service or somewhere else. The reward of doing their job is the ability to pay the bills and feed the family.
I have many, many times contacted management for what I have considered over and above what is expected from someone, but I never would if it was expected or asked for.
On the other hand, I have to be pretty displeased with a person to contact the manager for poor service.
You seem to be contradicting yourself....(or maybe I'm just not understanding....)..On the one hand you are saying "if you got good service...." why not tell the boss, then you follow up by saying you're not talking about "generally good service" but service you think is good enough to tell the boss. Which do you mean? Generally good experience, is what I expect. I would not take the time to speak to someone's manager (BTW, speaking as someone who has actually done this, finding the manager is not typically something that only takes a minute) over what I would consider someone doing their job. That is what a paycheck is for. OTOH, if I get EXCEPTIONAL service (someone doing more than they have to to stay employed - who obviously likes their job and truly cares about helping the customer I will make the effort to speak to the manager. Same as when I get less than wonderful service. If the service was simply lackluster and disappointing, I'll remember it but won't complain; if someone is truly rude/horrible whatever, I will complain to a manager.
sorry about that I confused myself there as well..
I come from a personal back ground of giving great customer service. I find the customers love to praise me for my efforts but lack the desire to tell my boss which normally only takes about a minute or less to find one walking around. Heck I have been known to chase down upper management to take a customer compliment call for an employee.
What I guess I a trying to understand is where does 'general good service' stop and when does exceptional service begin.
My company has set a high standard of great customer service as being the normal service. When we as employees go further then we have to its nice to have a customer not only tell us but tell the 'boss' as well.
I have a small list of names while I work of people who took time to compliment my service. That way if I ever get them again I can great them and let them know I appriciate that service they did for me. Not to beg for another complement but just to say, thanks. Even if I don't tell them thanks directly I will go the extra mile for them if needed just because.
I guess what I should ask is when does the 'exceptional' become the normal? for my employer what you will find exceptional from you local electric company phone in service we consider normal. Upbeat, friendly voice, Empathy, understanding, personal care, consideration, connection etc. all that plus more is the normal for us. actually that is an 2.5 on a 5 point scale with 1.o being tops. I normally along with about 90% of the company achieve 1.0-1.5 on the scale. so when does normal become extra special?
Last edited by Kerowyn; 05-23-2009 at 05:31 PM..
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