I Want Five Stars to Mean Five Stars

Something Has Gone Wrong with the Modern Customer Service Survey

Something a bit more lighthearted: my musings on the oddity of customer satisfaction surveys that dock employees for anything less than perfect scores. Do such policies bug anyone else?

It was an innocent — even endearing — touch when I received a delivery today. The delivery person left a sticker on the bag thanking me for my patronage. The sticker depicted five stars, a not too subtle hint at his desire for a five star review. And he deserved it — the items came quickly and correctly and in perfect condition. But, it got me thinking about how weird our view of customer service surveys has become.