VIPdesk Blog

I think you’ll agree, finding a great parking spot can make your day, especially when you’re running late or just simply want to finish your errands after a long day at work and get home. When I drive around and see these parking spots open time and again, I often wonder, “Are the superstars at lunch? Did they get a ride or take the bus?  …or were there simply no superstars this month?”

Ironically, I took this picture at a major department store that I frequently shop at. About a week before this visit, I actually encountered an employee who provided such excellent service, I felt compelled to not only complete the survey on the back of the receipt, but also took the time to send my comments to the store manager. Something, I’ve vowed to get better at. In the past, I would complain if the service or product wasn’t up to par, but in all fairness, I’ve decided that I would also let the companies I do business with know when they, or their employees, provide an excellent product or service experience. I encourage you to do the same!

The reason I was perplexed by the empty spots, and quite frankly, why I was a little perturbed (aside from having to park a mile away) – was that a week after taking the time to give this store (the store manager) my unsolicited feedback, I hadn’t heard a peep….not even a auto-reply or standard form-letter response.

On the other side of the coin – whenever I, or my husband, submit negative feedback – we almost instantly receive a response – and often a reward. My husband recently visited a gas station and decided to make a purchase based on a special advertised in the window. Unfortunately, the cashier did not know how the promotion worked and was unable to charge him the correct amount (I believe he overpaid by $1-2.00). Well, my husband and I are both big advocates of letting companies know when there are issues–because if we don’t, who will? …and hopefully, the issue will be resolved the next time we visit the store.

Well, in this situation – my husband received a call within the hour (unbelievable, really) and despite the fact that he told them he was not looking for anything, that he simply wanted to let them know of the issues so that they can be corrected, the manager insisted on sending my husband a —GET THIS— $50 gift card. Really? I can’t for the life of me figure out why any company would give someone a gift card for 500 times the amount of the purchase? Especially since he clearly said he was simply providing feedback. I know that had he offered my husband a $10 gift card, he would have been more than appreciative – and the store manager could’ve used the remaining $40 on additional training for the cashiers at that location.

Now, I know that all companies must deal with damage control – and want to ensure that they don’t lose a customer, but why wouldn’t a company take the time to respond to compliments? Companies pay a lot of money for customer surveys and feedback – which makes me wonder why they wouldn’t appreciate free – and unsolicited – feedback.

Now between you, me and the wall, I also believe the “bad kids” get most of the attention. These are the employees that either, lack the training or the knowledge, who simply aren’t good at their job or are just plain lazy and don’t want to work. And this, in my humble opinion, is the most detrimental mistake a lot of companies make – It is critical for companies to not only recognize the superstars (I mean really recognize them) and try really, really hard not to take them for granted – as these are the folks that will make your company stand above the competition — and keep your customers coming back time and again.

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