There are very few times in my life when I have complained about customer service to the establishment. I think part of the reason, is that even though I can be very in-your-face assertive, my innate nature is that of the shy, geeky introvert who shies away from confrontation–especially in public settings with people I don’t know. For example, when I encounter poor service at restaurants or bad food, my “retaliation” is only a 12% tip (unless it is really bad in which case I might do something else). I know I could do a lot more and that complaining can garner lots of good things (discounts, free food, re-dos), but it just isn’t my style.
What is my style though? Leaving compliments.
When I was younger I had several different retail jobs and worked as a bank teller for a number of years. Both jobs meant interfacing with customers directly for my entire 8 hour shift. And since customer service was a big part of my responsibility, any bonuses and rewards were tied to compliments left by customers on a job well done.
Now that the tables are turned and I am more frequently the customer, one of my favorite things to do is calling after the fact and leaving compliments with the manager (I tend to call afterward because I think it gives more credibility as in person I tend to look more like a college student than a “prized” customer). Every time I do this I get such a warm fuzzy feeling and it makes me feel like I did something nice (and that is such an awesome feeling compared to complaining to manager, which the few times I have done it, always makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable).
Tonight I went to Safeway (a grocery store by our home) and had such awesome customer service from this little lady who went way out of her way to make up all these deli items for me almost 2 hours after the deli closed–and she did it in a way that didn’t make me feel like I inconvenienced her at all (in the past the employees have complained or wouldn’t help me). I called and talked to the supervisor on my way home from the store–and I really hope that they do something nice for her in return like a bonus, or even just a gold star!
If you haven’t ever done this I encourage you to try it the next time you get great customer service. Leaving compliments can make a real difference for people serving you, and I bet you will come away with a really great feeling afterward. I know that I am going to try to do it a lot more in 2010.
Image by smcgee via Flickr
Happy New Year! Its 2010 and that means a start of a new decade.
As I have said previously, I heart New Years. I love fresh starts. The whole idea of turning over a new leaf and making things better than last year is such a great and inspirational feeling–it really gets me going.
So far my new year is off to a slow start sent I spent the first few days recovering from some bizarre cold, that involved feeling really fatigued, headaches, and an all over achy feeling, but hardly any other symptoms. I am happy to report, though, that by the end of the first week I am feeling revived, healthy, and ready to rumble!
Here are my major highlights for 2009:
- Started a new job – I left one company in online video, and then subsequently joined an SEO technology company (both in a VP Engineering role). This means new challenges, new people, and lots of learning. I must say the first two months at the new gig have been both challenging and fun, and I am looking forward to where this will go over the next year.
- Finally started fixing up our house! Even thought most of this happened in the last half of the year, I am so pleased with all the progress we made. I am hoping to continue this renovation and pretty project over the next year.
- Maintained my weight. I didn’t gain, I didn’t really lose. And I ran a half marathon (and lots of other long runs–all the way up to 19 miles!).
- Improved our financial savvy. This year we definitely got more organized and focused on mindful spending (less impulse shopping). Hopefully we can get better with investing in 2010.
This brings me to my new years resolutions for 2010 (here was my post on my resolutions for last year)….drum roll please…..
- Expand my professional network. I am hoping my new job will provide some opportunities here, but I need to make a point of getting out and networking–meeting more people, making new friendships and relationships, etc.
- Bring more focus on my blog and personal brand.
- Cook at home more. I love cooking. I love new recipes. I love grocery shopping. I really need to make a point of cooking a proper meal at least one day per week (right now I am lucky if this happens once a month–we are big fans of takeout and the microwave at our home).
- Take more pictures & videos. This may seem like a weird one, but every year as I look back and reflect on things we did I always regret that we didn’t capture more of it on film (still or moving).
What about you? Any interesting or worthwhile resolutions?
