We live in a ratings society. Everyone has been convinced of the need to check out the ratings before buying a product, using a service, or dining in a restaurant. Have you ever considered what you’re actually rating or how that rating will be used?
I used to work for a service company as a TV and appliance repair tech. We went out to the customer’s home and diagnosed and repaired their defective product or recommended it for in-warranty replacement. We were expected to complete 6–10 service calls each day. After each service call the customer would be emailed a survey to rate the service. In about 90% of cases the customer never responded to the survey. The 10% who did respond were very important.
As service techs, we were expected to maintain an average of 3.6 stars in these after-service reviews. If your average fell below 3.6 for the month you were written up and given 60 days to improve your rating. If your average for the month had not improved after 60 days, it was curtains for you.
So here’s how the math works out. Assuming you’re completing 6 service calls per day, 5 days per week, you’re getting 30 service calls done in a week. That means 10% of those customers are bothering to complete the service survey, so you’re getting 3 ratings in a week. Assume you received a 5-star, a 4-star, and a 3-star rating. That gives you an average…
