Taking the Post Call Survey

20/07/202212/06/2023 by Some Small Things In Do 15 Comments

Yes, I will take the post call survey.

I will round up at check-out. I’ll let them know how they did with the chat. I will rate the product (except on Amazon (anti-), sorry). And I’ll leave a five-star review.

I made this decision a few weeks ago after a 1.5-hour call with my cell phone carrier. After a week of frustrating misinformation at both the store and on the phone, I connected with a representative who figured out the problem. He was kind. And patient. He came back to the line every minute or so while I was on hold to say he was still there. He solved my problem. He even gave me two credits on my bill.

At the end of the call, I asked to be transferred to his supervisor so I could give him an excellent review. He said, “Really?” then connected me.

The conversation that ensued was great. The supervisor said, “Wow.” And I felt really good.

Do you guys want the “data pro” or the “data plus”?

Honestly, I used to ignore the post call surveys, the reviews, the round-ups or the extra dollars at check-out. Even worse, I used ratings, on occasion, to complain. But I’ve made a decision to say yes. Now I don’t need to make a lot of decisions as they arise; I’ve already made the one.

Good reviews do more than make a person’s day. They can make or break a career. A job. A side hustle. A business. I know. I’m trying out mine. We live and die by the five stars.

For the past few months, I’ve listened to a podcast called Side Hustle Nation. It’s got a lot of great ideas, but it kind of makes me crazy. Seems like every other guest hit it big from the start. I need to hear the initial failures. The grind. The I made $32 in the first month. Or negative $32. Or negative $3200.

But then there was this episode with Vincent Pugliese. He’s a photojournalist turned wedding photographer turned business coach. His interview was refreshingly humble. Not surprisingly, his philosophy is built on giving. Somewhere in that episode or newsletter he advocates for an hour of giving each day. That’s an hour you spend doing stuff for someone else. Small stuff. Promoting a friend. Reviewing a service. Commenting on a blog post. Supporting someone’s small business.

I want to do this.

So I’ve been trying. I’ve got some stuff to do and some to undo. I’ve curtailed the complaints. And started with the post call survey. And the reviews and the comments and the stars. (When earned, of course.)

When I was in college, there was this professor that everyone wanted to take. (To my NYU friends: read the article. It’ll make you long.) He taught philosophy, and I somehow got into his course. I remember only three things (other than I never did the reading):

  1. He liked the smell of crayons. So a student put a box of crayons on his chair one day before his lecture. He laughed graciously.
  2. He asked us what the dirtiest four-letter word in the English language was. And then wrote AIDS on the board. (It was the 1990s.)
  3. He stated there is no selfless act.

Not groundbreaking — any of these. The selfless act and AIDS discussions were a plenty at the time. Crayons was a little quirky but eh, not that quirky. But this guy’s reputation was really hard to live up to.

In any event, the selfless question stayed with me. Does it matter? Yes, it matters. No, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know. Is it true?

I’ll just keep pressing 1 for yes to the surveys.

Do you take surveys? Review the service? Did you take Prof. Gurland back in the day? Love the Portlandia skit like I do? Do tell.

Say some things.

Thanks for reading. 🙂

If you liked this post, you might like this one on the glory in putting air in one's tires.

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  1. This is an important reminder that a single kind act can make all the difference in someone’s day. At work, we have an internal recognition platform called Podium that we use to give thanks and recognition to our co-workers. I set aside 15 minutes in my calendar at the end of every week to look back and then officially thank people who helped me that week. It’s a small thing but people appreciate it. It’s a shame everyone I work with doesn’t do the same. It would make a huge difference to office morale.

    Reply

    1. I love this, and I’ve never heard of Podium. I would love to give recognition like that each week. I wish more workplaces would incorporate this, as it could entirely revitalize an office culture. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing this. Have a great day. 🙂

      Reply

      1. It is cool. You can also tie points to your recognition. Every employee gets an annual budget of points they can give. Points awarded can be exchanged for merchandise, gift cards or charitable donations. It’s such a great system. I just wish more people used it.

      2. Wow. That’s even better! It’s gamified! This reminds me of Haloed, the site I’ve wanted to start for ages. It would be a social media site premised on the idea of doing good for others instead of the usual. Members would see the mercury rise in their virtual thermometers every time they sent a virtual gift (connected to Paypal or Chase Payments or Venmo) to someone. Could be little. Like $5 for a breakfast sandwich before a big exam. Or $35 for a bouquet of flowers after a performance one can’t attend because they’re halfway across the world. I’ve owned the Haloed domain name for years. Was thinking of starting it in person with little Haloed cards. Like paying for the person’s coffee who is in line behind me just randomly. And then leaving the Haloed card in hopes they will pass it on. Anyway, really love Podium. I’m going to check it out. Thanks again! Have a great day. 🙂

  2. I remember that “there is no true altruism” concept from college philosophy, too (but not at NYU). You are a better person than I am. I get overwhelmed with all the requests for ratings and surveys. In my opinion, it’s gotten to be over the top. I spend a good hour each day (more, actually) doing stuff for my 3 pets. Does that count? 😉

    Reply

    1. But of course! And your three pets are precious by the way. I love the way the bunny interacts with the cats.

      I do agree that it’s a lot! And believe me, I have a lot of work left to do in this area! I’m trying my best.

      Reply

      1. That’s all you can do, and more power to you. May I send along all my requests for feedback? You’ll be hearing from my bank, the massage place, my gym… just put whatever you think. Haha.

      2. Ha! 🙂
        Well, I think I might already have my work cut out for me . . .
        🙂
        Have a great weekend!

  3. I am guilty of never doing a post call survey. This is an excellent reminder to stop and take the time to do so. We ALL love a positive review, and if someone has earned one I think it’s brilliant to let someone know. Thank you for this reminder.

    Reply

    1. Thank you! I never did them either. I just recently made one decision to always say yes (for good reviews), and so far, it really hasn’t taken much of my time. I did provide constructive criticism to an urgent care place over the weekend, but I wrote it in a positive manner!

      Reply

  4. I don’t do surveys or reviews, but you may have convinced me to do so. I used to leave bad review on books I didn’t like though, but I’ve stopped that now, after trying to write a book myself. Maybe empathy is what’s needed.

    I believe in the no-selfless statement. Because helping others (or making the world a better place) makes us feel good, doesn’t it? I remember watching a documentary once, about a generous restaurant owner giving food to the homeless. And his comment was “I’m not generous. I just want to feel good.”

    Anyway, thanks for this post!

    Reply

    1. Yes, I used to give negative reviews — albeit sparingly — but now I just stay silent unless I think that something is dangerous.

      I think I agree about the self, but I’m not sure it matters if the end result is good for someone else? But yes, maybe the best good turns are the ones that remain anonymous.

      Thanks for your comment!

      Reply

  5. Really interesting post. I generally do take surveys and give good ratings because I feel like it’s not a big deal to me but it may be for the employee. Admittedly, I don’t take every survey but when I can, I do.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for reading and commenting! Yes, exactly. Ever since I made the decision to always do them, I’ve done a few post-calls, and they have been really quick. Only three questions or so. It feels good!

      Reply

Say some things.