For the record, I’ve seen NPS put to good use, so that all seems very broad-brush to me. Part of the benefit of NPS does come from the comments, but the metric itself is useful as well.
Agreed, though my experience is that management overly focuses on just the number, and not nearly enough on qualitative comments (if they even offer respondents the opportunity to provide them).
I don’t disagree, but that’s on whoever introduced it to the company. We worked with Bain (I was on the steering committee when they first came in), and I would say 50% of what they told us was (in my mind) hype, but 50% was actually useful. One thing they did tell us was stop doing decimal-place comparisons, you’re looking for big changes or differences.
Which reminds me, an area where it was useful to me was in change management - say there was an acquisition, a reorg, some change in vendor or process - and you could see the effect it had on people (and who can blame them?), was it possible to make it better for them? NPS inevitably dipped significantly when those changes happened, but it turns out you could sometimes make the dip more shallow, and the post-change resulting NPS even higher, by how you managed it. (and that’s where we get to the comments - people will be merciless if your communication is poor, but will also be very appreciative if it’s good)
I once did one of these surveys and gave a 4 on some metric. The follow-up question was what could we do to bring your experience to a 5.
I tolf them they could give me the product for free
Last year I made a project of messing with Del Taco’s figures. Statistically it was less than meaningless, but what the hell, I had to fill out the survey to get my “Dollar Off” coupon. It was usually all 5’s, except where they asked if I’d recommend them to a friend. That always got a solid “No.”
Whereas I recommend them to friends all the time, but since I live six hours from the nearest Del Taco, my recommendations are ineffectual.
Paying a large amount in taxes is one thing, but if I’m being asked to essentially fund the government directly, that’s called a King. If you really want to go down that road we can, but it’s very unlikely that anyone, including myself, is going to be happy where it ultimately leads.
I, too, am frustrated by customer surveys that don’t ask what I think are relevant questions, or take too long, or don’t give me the chance to enter at least a brief written response at the end (“Is there anything else you’d like us to know?”). Usually I’ll take a survey only if I’m very pleased or very disappointed.
I’ll take that Belle Meade if you don’t want it.
A few years ago during the days of COVID masking requirements, I was at Five Guys getting takeout. While I was waiting for my order a guy walked in with no mask on, blatantly ignoring the “masks required” sign. None of the employees asked him to put one on or even said anything. I normally don’t bother filling out those surveys, but in this case I thought I would use the survey to share what had happened there. Except the survey just asked me to rate them on a bunch of metrics unrelated to what I wanted to say. I assumed eventually there would be a free form “is there anything else you would like to share with us?” box, but there wasn’t. I mean, yes, the cashier did treat me courteously. Yes, I got the correct order. But that’s not what I wanted to tell you about!
I once got about 15 feet near Ma Ying-Jeou, the former president of Taiwan, at a train station in Taichung. He was surrounded by bodyguards, getting into a car, preparing to leave. Nobody said anything, as far as I recall.
(Edited: okay, so former heads of state count as well)
I met and shook hands with President Obama in 2012. We didn’t discuss much.
I have had many conversations with current and past governors of Washington.
Nah, it counts. That’s why I wrote “is or was”.
Do governors count?
Once I entered a nearly-empty subway car in Toronto and ended up sitting directly across from former prime minister John Turner. I didn’t recognize him at first and was confused as to why everyone who got on or off the train was saying hello or goodbye to him.
On my way to work once I got stuck in a crowd that had come to see Austrian president Alexander van der Bellen receive Slovenian president Borut Pahor outside the former’s official residence. They said a few words to the crowd so I suppose that counts as being in an audience.
I’ve had a short conversation with the head of one of the indigenous nations in Canada. I suppose it’s debatable to what extent these nations are sovereign.
I have had various communications with US senators and representatives. I have had various communications with, and met, more local elected officials. I have not, to the best of my knowledge and recollection, had any more connection with anyone who is or was POTUS than via website, TV, and/or newsprint articles.
I’ve never met anyone who was POTUS. I guess i didn’t shake Reagan’s hand when he was running for the nomination, (i ducked to let the women sitting next to me shake his hand) and also didn’t shake John Kerry’s hand when he was running, because the line was too long. But i could have shaken both hands if I’d been so inclined.
However, i did briefly (very briefly) meet Angela Merkel when she was chancellor of Germany, and heard her speak. And i went to an event where the king of Spain spoke many years ago.
I’m sure I’ve told this story before. I was standing in line to pay my bill at a local Italian restaurant near NC State in Raleigh right after election day in 1996. I noticed the gentleman behind me looked very familiar. I mentioned to him he looks a lot like Gov. Hunt, only shorter. Gov. Hunt chuckled and introduced himself to me. I congratulated him on winning his fourth term, paid my bill, and went searching for a rock to crawl under.
I was once at an event where then President Ford was giving a speech. Afterwards I stood in a crowded reception line and got a chance to briefly shake his hand as he moved down the line. That was my closest encounter with any head of state.
Unlike my cousins who live in New Hampshire. They’ve pretty much met every President, along with every candidate, in the last few decades. Apparently you can’t avoid them there if you go to any public place during the season.
Yeah, @psychonaut, could you clarify?