Yesterday at work a customer was so upset about the service she received that it moved her to call the highest level of authorities (in this case, our district manager). Now, for the sake of this story, it's neither relevant nor necessary to determine if she was "right" or not, the point is that she felt compelled to give feedback.
This, of course, got me wondering why it's so much easier to give negative feedback than it is to take time out of our day to compliment someone. Thank God Facebook doesn't have a 'dislike' button - most people would be clicking on that thing left and right! When we feel hurt, slighted, or offended, it is easy to take the time to contact the proper authorities and make sure that this is brought to someone else's attention. Our offense has been validated.
I turn 31 tomorrow and, based on what I saw yesterday, I decided that I'm going to start this year of life off with a challenge. For 30 days in a row I am going to seek out one place everyday where I can give positive feedback. Excellent customer service, products I like, articles in the newspaper that are thoughtful, or even just good company policies. Management should hear about the things I appreciate and I should be using my precious time to express my appreciation, rather than always giving voice to my complaints. I'm giving compliments and taking names!
Want to play along?
I do this all the time. I let people in customer service know that I appreciate their time and help. I love to say, "Thank you sooo much!" when I feel like I've been given good customer service and oftentime even when not. Perhaps as incentive. ;)
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