Not long ago, one of our employees came into work to find a grocery-size paper bag sitting on his desk inscribed with the words ‘Amazing Service Mystery Bag’ in black Sharpie ink. Just as the employee’s heart started to pound (“What could this be?” he later told us he wondered), four of his colleagues came in for a closer look, all wondering what was in the bag, too.
The employee opened the bag and let out a yelp. He reached in and quickly pulled out a brand new, in-the-box iPhone 5. He looked around, bewildered. That is when his manager came over to congratulate him on a job well done. The bag and gift were to acknowledge a positive customer comment received the day before. The iPhone was a surprise to show our appreciation for his hard work.
Since then, the Amazing Service Mystery Bag has become a huge hit around the office. No, we don’t include an iPhone 5 in each one (although I’m sure that our employees wish we did). Instead, we will include a funny trinket from the dollar store, a book written by an employee’s favorite author, an iPad, or a candy bar.
The reaction has been—to take a word from the bag itself—amazing. We find employees work harder just to see if they will be the one to get the bag next. Our engagement is at an all-time high and even when employees don’t receive big-ticket-item gifts, they don’t seem to care. It is the recognition of their hard work that they tell us they appreciate most. The gifts are a bonus.
Employees love (and respond to) surprises
Here’s what I’ve learned from this initiative.
While I do believe in daily employee meetings to communicate important company initiatives, I don’t believe in recognizing team members during each and every meeting. Habitual recognition cheapens recognition. The element of surprise is much more effective and appreciated.
Immediate reaction is crucial
As business owners, it is our job to pay attention to how each member of our team is doing and to respond accordingly and immediately. This means that if an employee stays after work to help a client, he or she is rewarded the very next day, not a week later. I find the quicker the recognition, the happier the employee.
(On the flipside, recognition of an area in need of improvement is also appreciated quickly. No one wants to be reprimanded for something they did a week prior and may have already forgotten about.)
Bag delegation is key
I’d love to be the one to give out the Amazing Service Mystery Bag every time, but it isn’t possible with my schedule. So I farm out to the duties to Rahmun, our Amazing Service Evangelist. It’s his job to communicate with managers and get the names of top customer service performers in the company. From there, he has the budget, jurisdiction and creative freedom to make the mystery bag campaign the success that it has become.
Small business owners (especially those with at least a few dozen employees): I recommend you give this a try. At worst, you will lose a few bucks at the dollar store. At best, your employee engagement and customer satisfaction will go through the roof.
