Stacking the deck...

The following appears on a sticker, attached to the receipt from Rachel's recent oil change:

IMPORTANT
You may receive a customer satisfaction survey from Hyundai Motor of America in the next few weeks. If for any reason you cannot grade us "10" (completely satisfied) please contact [name withheld] at Fairfax Hyundai immediately. Your satisfaction is our No. 1 concern. Thank You. [phone # withheld]

This is just one example of a poorly-executed incentive program in the name of customer service. Clearly, the dealership gets some sort of incentive (cash or otherwise) from Hyundai of America if they achieve a certain overall score on their post-service customer surveys. (In marketing parlance, this survey would be called a Post-transaction assessment, or PTA.)

Many businesses try to solicit PTA data from customers, including the familiar note on your receipt from The Home Depot or Staples, prompting you to take a survey online or by phone. While many businesses provide an incentive to the customer to take these surveys, such as entry into a $5000 sweepstakes (or in the case of Fairfax Hyundai, coupons for free oil changes), an increasing number of businesses also provide an incentive to their branch locations to (1) encourage customers to take the survey and (2) achieve good performance on the survey based on customer feedback.

The problem, as if it weren't completely obvious, is that the Hyundai dealership's "No. 1 concern" is not your satisfaction, as stated on the sticker, but their own realization of an incentive from Hyundai of America. Read between the lines: the sticker is subtly suggesting that you fill out the survey only if you plan to grade them a "10" - otherwise, the implication is that you should call the dealership instead of filling out the survey. That way, they avoid having your survey results drag down their average.

How can you tell that their motivation is suspect? First of all, they ask you to call the service manager "if... you cannot grade us a '10'", not if you had a disappointing experience. Hello! Second, they are much more interested in your feedback via the survey data (as long as it's a 10) than in your real, honest opinion of their service. Otherwise, they'd put up a sign next to the cashier, stating:

If our service fell short of excellence in any way, our service manager would like to hear from you before you leave today.

The only thing more insulting than being on the receiving end of poor customer service is being taken for granted as a nameless contributor, helping people you don't know to earn an incentive they might not really deserve.