Called to order a pizza. Refilled my prescriptions. Checked out of my hotel. Made a plane reservation. Paid for concert tickets. Tuned up my car. Took a cooking class. Visited my children's school. Stopped at the fast foodery to pick up dinner. Signed up for a movie on demand. Bought my son's textbooks online. You name the activity, and I'll lay you odds that I didn't get a chance to finish it without being solicited for a donation. Of my limited time. For a survey.
Continuous Quality Improvement. Has a nice ring to it, right? What could be better customer service than companies acknowledging the value of our consumer opinions and using our evaluations to better their products and services. When I was first tapped to provide feedback, I have to admit I felt empowered, my self-esteem flattered by the request for my input. They care, they really care. Of course, I'll be happy to put in a good word or five stars.
Alas, I soon realized that my 'valuable' comments were not genuinely sought as a way to make things better, but as a way to show corporate masters that the service providers were 'getting an A' on their literal performance 'report cards'. To ensure a good grade, I was being schmoozed, not served, by eager front-line workers hoping that I'd return the favor and inflate their ratings. At every single encounter. What had once been a pleasant diversion had become an onerous chore. Everything in my life had been reduced down to a Likert Scale, and I had become "1-Very Dissatisfied".
The last straw was when these intrusive assessments invaded my own workplace. Medical research had long yielded to the regimentation of evidence-based analysis of data resulting in cookbook therapeutic guidelines. But medical practice still included a healthy dose of "art" in patient encounters, communications, and treatment. Patients' smiles, warm handshakes, twinkling eyes, relieved posture, and energetic gait were clear messages of their pleasure and gratitude, even if "thank yous" were not loudly gushed. My own 'good-byes' and 'best wishes' were now trumped by the new mantra I reluctantly had to prescribe for my patients. "If you don't mind, please fill out this survey and let us know how you felt about your visit". Maybe I should've yielded to the patient's request and prescribed antibiotics after all...
For good or for ill, our entire days have become marathons of "American Idol", reality shows where we are subject to being constantly rated by the audience of our social and professional contacts. I suppose the truth is that these evaluations have been a part of human interactions throughout history, and certainly fodder for the gossip-minded in our societies, but being tasked both to incessantly provide feedback, and--worse--accept it, has become wearing at the least.
So, Huffington Post, forgive me for passing on the pop-up survey this time around. I'm just a little burned out. However, dear readers, you could do me a little favor to help, if you don't mind: Please rate my piece 5 stars and Share. ;-)