I was walking through the store a few days ago and this sign caught my eye. It was on a shelf next to the boxes and containers, and it served a very simple purpose. People had apparently been coming into the store and purchasing containers, but they were leaving the lids behind! In an effort to correct that problem, the store added this little reminder you see in the photo.
There really is a point to all this
This store’s response is a fantastic example of how to provide great feedback.
- Be concise (make it as simple as possible)
- Be direct (address the problem head-on)
- Be clear (don’t mince words)
- Be relevant (stay focused on the issue)
Any other lessons you get from this simple picture? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks to Ben Eubanks for guest posting today. Ben is author extraordinaire of UpStart HR. He’s also instrumental in spreading the word on the future of HR to students and seasoned pros. He’s the co-founder of HRevolution, writes for multiple websites, wrote the wildly successful e-book ‘Rock the PHR’, and collaborates on many other projects. Oh, and as if that’s not enough, he is the new daddy to twin girls Bella and Bree. The fact that he does all that and still guest posts for me blows me away! Thanks Ben!!
7 Comments
Those are just good guidelines for conversation in general.
Great post!!!
Trish, you’ve already been there, done that, and got the t-shirt (with the twins). I’m just trying to catch up. 🙂 Plus I have support from great people like you, so that makes it all possible! I appreciate you letting me share today, and I love the byline!
Thanks Trish I wonder though whether the “real communication would be at the check out when the assistant could be giving the customer true customer service. I agree it goes part way but hey how many people read the labels. Seems they are relying on the wrong customer angle. Real service would come from the stores employees.
Although I like the idea and the parallel in this post I do agree with Peter. We no longer live in a commodity driven world. The best way to differentiate a company is how you do things, not what you have. I do agree that it is an excellent example of how to give great feedback, especially if these four items were handled in this way to the employees rather than on a sign.
@Peter The point was less about service and more about a metaphor for feedback. 🙂 I agree that it would be smart to have someone actually providing service to those customers, though!
@Jen See my comment to Peter. It’s for the customers, not employees, so that might be a little different from what you were focusing on. If only feedback between companies and their employees was as simple as a sign, right? 🙂
Thanks for the clarification- my point also is its all about the service too often we rely on “stuff” and put the onus on the customer – please read etc. Point to note is Dustin Johnson at last weeks PGA!! lost two strokes where was the official that was following? The answer was he was given the club rules at the beginning of the tournament!!