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Praise Leads to Better Customer Service
03/21/08
Two college stores found a relatively easy and inexpensive way to encourage their employees to deliver the best customer service: Just thank them when they do good work.
That simple act motivates and inspires workers more than you might think, emphasized Christy Cameron, manager, Autzen Stadium Duck Store, University of Oregon, Eugene, and Lara Konick-Mann, merchandise and marketing manager, University Book Store, University of Washington, Seattle, in their CAMEX education session, Engaging Employees: Creating a Culture of Service Where Everyone Wins.
Both stores developed appreciation programs to thank employees for going above and beyond in serving customers, including internal customers.
Konick-Mann said the University Book Store created the Way-to-Go program about 15 years ago to give supervisors a means to thank and reward employees. The program uses Way-to-Go gold metallic coins as on-the-spot tributes.
"I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be on the receiving end," Konick-Mann said. "I still remember the first time I got a Way-to-Go coin."
Depending on the situation, a supervisor may bestow one of three coins on an employee. A $2.75 coin (redeemable for a beverage or snack) may be handed out when a worker puts in an extra effort or resolves a problem. A $10 coin (redeemable for lunch) may go to an employee who takes initiative on a new project or difficult situation. For a sustained effort resulting in an innovation, new market, or superb service, the employee can receive a $25 coin (redeemable for a store gift card).
Employees are encouraged to nominate each other for Way-to-Go coins, although supervisors make the final call. Those who receive coins also are entered into a prize drawing at an annual employee banquet.
The event also honors the store's 10 Employees of the Year, nominated by the staff and selected by a committee of the previous year's winners. Each winner receives a plaque, a $100 store gift card, a 30% discount for one year on store purchases, an extra vacation day, a thank-you note from the store CEO, and a picture posted at the customer service desk.
At the University of Oregon, the employee recognition program is incorporated into the GIFT customer service program for all Duck Store staffs at the Eugene, Portland, and Bend campuses. Cameron, who serves as GIFT program coordinator in addition to her manager duties, said GIFT represents the four steps employees should follow in serving every customer: Greet the customer; Inquire and inform the customer; Finish the details of the transaction; and Thank the customer for their business.
"We wanted to create a store culture that puts the customer first," Cameron said. In looking for ways to emphasize customer service to employees, the Duck Stores opted to adopt a friendlier approach to staff training, with a focus on soft skills. "We decided customer service is a byproduct of a happy team effort," she said.
To that end, the Duck Stores launched a thank-you note program to encourage positive behaviors. Any employee can thank another for their actions by filling out a short form explaining why the person deserves thanks. One copy goes to the worker being thanked and one goes to General Manager Jim Williams, who reads all the thank-you notes at the weekly staff meetings.
The notes quickly fostered "a tremendous level of affirmation among the team," Cameron said. "You'll see thank-you notes pinned up in their work areas."
About 20-30 notes are written each week. In all, some 600 notes have been given out since the GIFT program's inception three years ago.
Twice a year, Williams hosts an employee lunch and hands out awards based on the work acknowledged in the thank-you notes. The most coveted awards are the Gold Name Tags, which go to two employees who consistently take extra steps to help customers and fellow teammates. The Duck Store's GIFT newsletter features the recipients and reprints some of the notes.
Last year, the thank-you note program became part of the annual employee holiday party. "We gave small engraved Oscars, called the Gifty Award, to the individual who wrote the most thank-you notes, received the most thank-you notes, the team that received the most thank-you notes, and the team that wrote the most," Cameron said.
"It was a very popular event and a perfect venue to recognize excellence in our company," she added.
—Cindy Ruckman
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