Search Twitter under the hashtag fail (#fail) and you’ll come across examples of poor service, disgruntled customers and some almost unbelievable situations.

(My next #FAIL is directed at keyboard manufacturers who bury the hash tag deep in the computer – they need to move with the times and have it as easy to reach as the exclamation mark.)

As a nation (UK) we’re renowned for being poor at complaining but the joy of Twitter has allowed us to rant about poor service without the embarrassment of actually complaining to a person (big companies take note – if you’re not searching Twitter for your company mentions and responding quickly to complaints, then you’re missing a trick and what was a minor complaint could escalate very quickly).

But do we reward good service? BT are known for terrible customer service. I spent weeks on the phone with a young gentleman in Asia fixing my broadband. The gentlemen took my frustrations on a daily basis on the chin and fixed the problem (although it did take him two weeks, I was impressed seeing that he was based in India). I then had to ask to speak to his boss to show my appreciation. As with most customer services, there is an option to complain but not to make a comment or say thank you, so in most cases I end up sending a “complaint” to say thanks.

Businesses need to be better about recognizing great service. Yes there are various annual awards, but what about the numerous examples of exceptional service that happens in teams every day? So like the #FAIL, If you have witnessed great service, then post your comments on Twitter with #goldstarservice and we can start to recognize all the great things happening in our profession and learn from them.

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