...That You Notice and Appreciate When They Do a Great Job?

You might think you do, but do they think you do?

Research by Gallup, Towers Perrin, and the American Management Association all show that less than 1/3 of employees report frequently receiving praise and recognition for their work. As Marcus Buckingham, author of "The One Thing You Need to Know", notes, either that means they have done things with excellence and it has been ignored or they haven't performed in an excellent way -- neither being a good thing.

Recognizing great work and showing appreciation are no small matter. Gallup's landmark research revealed that receiving recogntion for doing good work is one of the 12 strongest predictors of employee productivity and customer loyalty (i.e. employees provide loyalty-generating service). Furthermore...

As anyone in customer service knows, it's not an easy profession. I think next to sales, it's the "Perfect Storm" when it comes to stress and emotional wear and tear. Here's what I mean:

1) Customer service is an "experience business" - to build a reputation for great service, you need people who can provide a warm, welcoming, friendly experience.

2) It can be pretty darn hard to be warm, welcoming, and friendly sometimes, especially when you're being mistreated by customers. As anyone involved in customer service knows, the amount of emotional wear and tear possible when dealing with the public can be huge.