Last night I went to work, and since it was a later shift at a slower time it was just me and the owner working in the store for a while.  A couple came in, and it was obviously their first time eating at this place.  They ordered their food and sat down to eat.  After they were done, the woman came up to the counter where the owner was prepping some food.  She explained to him that although the food tasted fantastic, the plastic forks and knives were too flimsy and not substantial enough to cut their food with.

It seems really trivial, but this lady’s comment really struck me.  She started off with a positive affirmation about the taste and quality of the food, but also gave a suggestion as to how we could make the dining experience better for the customers.

I’ve had several jobs dealing with customer service since I was in high school, and let me tell you how scarce these types of constructive comments are.  The fact that I am even writing about this should tell you rare it is.

When most people have a negative experience with a food or retail place, they keep it to themselves.  Then they go home and write a scathing review on Metromix, or tell all their friends not to go to that place.  Others complain loudly and often to the managers about trivial or imagined glitches in service.  Some direct their anger at lower-level workers who had nothing to do with the problem in the first place and have no idea how to fix it or even what they’re talking about.  The result of all this is that many complaints get ignored and negative experiences are not addressed in the form of any sort of change.

Here is the bottom line: if you know how to direct your criticism into a constructive comment, your complaint will get much, much farther.

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