Have we become too focused on feedback and surveys?
Camera IconHave we become too focused on feedback and surveys? Credit: Supplied

Angela Mollard: Feedback culture of reviews, surveys is out of control

Angela MollardThe Sunday Telegraph

Topics

I had gone for a pee.

Yes, yes, too much information, but as with all stories it’s important to set the scene.

Anyway, after my pee and an obligatory hand wash, I went to leave this particular public bathroom only to be accosted near the door by a machine with a series of faces from super smiley through to a very red angry/sad.

“How do you rate the restroom cleanliness?” inquired the sign above the push-button machine.

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Oh the irony of being asked to rate the hygiene of a public bathroom by touching a device which could imperil my own.

Who knows if my fellow toilet-goers had cared to wash their own hands before offering an appraisal. Indeed, what sort of person delays their visit to a municipal ablution block long enough to consider whether the soap dispensers are full, the hand dryers are working and the toilet bowls are clean?

I’m all for improvement to the “customer experience” but feedback culture has got out of hand.

You can’t purchase a kettle, get your hair cut, book a hotel room, ring your local council, post a parcel or use a tradie without being asked to take a phone survey or fill in an emailed response to either commend or critique whatever product or service you’ve received.

Apart from being deeply needy, such requests destroy any goodwill you might have felt upon receiving excellent service.

Survey, poll or questionnaire for user experience or customer satisfaction research. Quality control and feedback concept.
Camera IconDo we constantly have to tell people if we are satisfied, Angela Mollard asks. iStock Credit: Supplied

Take my recent stay at a lovely establishment in Tasmania. I’d booked it at the last minute after plans changed and was rewarded with a warm quiet room with a superb shower.

Even better, the restaurant had breathtaking views over the local harbour, fresh plump mussels, a delicious riesling and the sort of good-natured service that makes you want to give up city life and move instantly to a coastal hamlet.

The following morning Jessie on reception asked if we’d like to grab some of the leftover breakfast from a buffet specially ordered by a visiting group of classic car enthusiasts who had since left.

“It’ll just be thrown out so help yourself,” she said, before bustling off to crank up the coffee machine.

Later when I went to check out I thanked her enthusiastically for the excellent service and told her we’d be sure to return.

And that should have been the end of it.

Except it wasn’t. Not once but twice I received an email from booking.com asking me to rate the property. I ignored them but then thought about the lovely Jessie and wondered if her pay rises might be determined by this sort of feedback.

Angela Mollard Dinkus
Camera IconColumnist Angela Mollard. Tim Hunter Credit: News Corp Australia

What didn’t I like (another 2 or 3 sentences)? Had I visited the beach nearby and would I like to add photos? No, no and bloody no.

Then as if to add insult to injury they inquired whether I would like to write a “genuinely useful review” and if so I could click on a hyperlink for tips on how to write such a review.

Actually, I’d like to write a “genuinely bullshit review” because I have half an hour to waste on such tasks.

A friend was similarly exasperated after ordering a toasted sandwich maker from Target which she had sent to her daughter at a university interstate. The appliance was duly delivered but then the store became more desperate for acclamation than a newbie dater.

Could she write a review of the appliance? Would she recommend the appliance to a friend? Pros and cons? Could she add a YouTube video of her using the sandwich maker? Oh, and what was her gender? Finally, Target asked if she would recommend them to a friend?

As she says, she might have had they not attempted to waste her time with so many sodding questions.

While social media has allowed us to rate and interact directly with the companies from whom we buy goods and services, and star rating systems allow the customer to better select what they buy, the fetishisation of feedback is insane.

What happened to a good old-fashioned compliment directly to the person who offered great service? Likewise, loyalty. I’ve been going to the same hair salon for more than a decade because the staff do a brilliant job. I don’t need to fill in an emailed questionnaire every time I have a cut or blow dry.

Whether it’s Australia Post or the local cafe, surely best business practice is to focus on doing a good job rather than constantly inquiring whether a parcel is delivered in a timely fashion or the coffee is the right shade of hot.

As for public bathrooms, as long as they’re clean our gratitude is beyond measure.

angelamollard@gmail.com; twitter.com/angelamollard

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