I’d like to file a …. compliment?

10.02.09

I was recently going back and forth on the phone with a local company regarding some poor service my family had received … it was something very basic – we’d been long-time customers, so to me, it seemed like a very simple situation. One they could – and quite frankly should – easily fix. Reindeer is, after all, a company whose motto is "real. personal. service." – to me the whole thing was really a non-issue. Customer not happy. Make customer happy.

The woman on the phone, however, wasn’t budging and the entire conversation went south very quickly. The company, of course, came back a few days later with a mea culpa but by then the damage was done. We’ve since gone elsewhere for the service, we’re much happier, and we have, of course, told everyone we know about the less-than-impressive customer service from that particular facility.

The entire situation got me to thinking though … I’m so very quick to take a stand and voice myself when the service is less than satisfactory. I’m the queen of writing nasty letters or pinpointing CEOs of particular organizations and questioning them on the mottos and visions posted on their websites. But I draw a blank when I try to think of an instance where I call or write a company to compliment their service. Certainly, I’ve received stellar service before … I can think of situations where a company representative went above and beyond to make my experience with them a success. So why the silence on my part?

Why is it so much easier to criticize than to compliment? Shouldn’t we reward good behavior? Why do we put such attention on service failures and rarely call to light those instances where we’ve shined so brightly and lived up to our company mission?

Reindeer’s had those moments, obviously. I pulled some surveys from our September moves and found the proof:

"delivery was faster than promised"

"your company is all about service and the customer"

"thank you for making this one of the best/easiest parts of my relocation"

There were even comments that singled out employees for exceptional work:

"… the fine service we received from Lauren McAtee …. She kept me informed on every detail"

"Michelle was our contact from your office and she is absolutely OUTSTANDING!!! She exemplifies customer service and treating customers as a valuable resource. She is the model by which servicing customers should be in any company."

THIS is the stuff that should make headlines. THESE are the things we should call CEOs to mention. It should be the lead to every management meeting. It should be on our voicemail recordings "Hi, thanks for calling Reindeer … sorry I missed your call but did you know that Mrs. XXX thinks Michelle is outstanding? Ask me why!"

In an economy where all seems gloom and doom … in an industry where we’re fighting for every next move, every next order … wouldn’t it be more motivating to put the emphasis on what we’re doing right?