Anything less than 5-stars doesn’t matter
Two days ago I had my second amazing customer service experience in a little over a week. For the first time I took the extra few minutes to seek out that person’s boss and explicitly give them a rave review.
It felt good.
I’ve never really cared to review restaurants or businesses but I’ve found that I love giving employees of those establishments 5 star reviews.
About a week ago I met some friends in Downtown Oakland; they were going to a show at the Fox Theater and none of us knew the area. It was nearly impossible to find a place nearby for food and drinks with space for the three of us.
The hostess at Duende informed us that the main dining room was full but recommended we try the Bodega side where it was open seating. The idea wasn’t inspiring but time was running out.
We ended up standing at a shelf for dinner and drinks. It was a bit cramped and awkward, but had an unbelievable waitress. She was funny and empathetic, quick with drinks and great with recommendations — she way outperformed expectations, she made the experience.
I was so impressed, I waited to see her manager and tell him about my experience. He told me that they had hired her to be a barista and she was so great they promoted her to waiting tables. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard rave reviews about her.
My second great experience was with Warby Parker. My eyes have gotten very tired from looking at a screen all day and I’ve been trying to buy some spectacles. I was doing something wrong during the ordering process but in all my experience with technology I couldn’t fix it.
I emailed them and got a fairly reasonable response but it didn’t solve my conundrum. Next I tried live chat and the person was very nice but ultimately her suggestions fell short as well and she recommended I call in.
At this point I was a bit frustrated, I really just wanted some glasses and I’m not a fan of phone support. Well, I got a nice woman who quickly admitted she had no idea what the issue was but she had a solution.
Her honesty was refreshing and she solved my issues immediately. I asked for her boss’ email so that I could report my satisfaction and she sounded elated as she told me. Guess what? Her boss said that this employee gets frequent rave reviews!
I rarely receive 5 star service but I generally reward the business with repeat purchases when I do. Until now I’ve failed to reward the individual providing the great service — sure I’ll leave a nice tip at a restaurant but a few extra dollars is hardly impactful.
To be fair, I have no idea if my feedback will change anyone’s life for the better, but one thing is certain: it can’t hurt. In a less-than-stellar economy we should be striving to surface and reward the most impactful employees.
It makes me feel great and — from what I can tell — people like being told they’re doing a great job. A few minutes of your time is way more valuable than a few extra dollars (though both is better). Next time you get great service take a few minutes extra and tell that person’s boss.