Comments on: The Domino’s effect

By: Free tattoo designs

Free tattoo designs — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:41:47 +0000

Interesting post i totally agree with the comments above. Keep writing

By: Drew Schiller

Drew Schiller — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:33:33 +0000

Peter, Janet and I may be somewhat idealistic, but we have research on our side. I worked ten years in low-paying food service jobs, and let me tell you, monetary compensation is not the only way to make employees feel important. Truthfully (not naively), the best work environments are those that are happy (smiles are contagious), challenging (new task or goals each day), appreciative (management recognizes top performers), and those workplaces that reward motivated employees with more responsibility. You don't have to give employees a raise and the keys to the store to make them feel special, just tell them you appreciate their hard work and you would like for them to be in charge of organizing the display racks. If you are in a management role, try it. I bet it works!

By: Gloria

Gloria — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:32:47 +0000

Domino’s, of course, is not the only company that uses this technique to sell their product. I have bought candy in a drug store that will sell “two bags for $5.00,” but I had to pay $3.00 when I bought only one bag. Perhaps marketing research has been done on this by the company and they have found that their profit increases by this method. If they allow one customer who gripes about it to get the sale price with less purchases, perhaps other customers who did not complain will REALLY complain when they find out they were cheated. And not every employee wants to be empowered or have choices. Many just want a clear-cut script to be followed. Speaking to the manager is the best plan — but the manager is not always present. And let’s face it, most people are in a hurry!

However, you are right theoretically. Your plan to make the world a better place is to be commended. Companies would be well advised to consult you.

Gloria

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:18:43 +0000

I understand what you are trying to say, Janet, but I think the argument is faulty. At the very least its a little to idealistic. The truth is that these employees don’t matter. They know they don’t matter, and if customers could understand this too there would be far less tension and angst in the customer-employee relationship. The only way to make these employees matter, thereby empowering them as you suggest, is to invest in them. This means increasing job requirements and being more selective in the hiring process. That would mean increasing wages respectively. Given the number of the employees required to run a franchise effectively under the current model this would be prohibitively expensive. So the only way to actually accomplish what you propose,would be to reinvent the business model. So my point is that unless you also have a revolutionary new business model for the delivery pizza companies, your corporate mantras are irritatingly and impossibly idealistic and your point is moot.

By: Duh

Duh — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:03:09 +0000

Um helloo? You could’ve ordered a third pizza, saved a buck, and told them to give the pizza to whoever the next lucky person who came along when it was ready. :)

By: Janet Smith

Janet Smith — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:18:07 +0000

Jen!! You have missed my point entirely! I completely realize that the Domino’s employee was doing his job. I am not railing on him…I am railing on the Chief Anchovies at Domino’s who don’t understand the importance of empowering employees. That’s why I said this in the blog post, in case you missed it: “Employees who aren’t empowered to satisfy customers feel helpless, and disengagement becomes a survival technique.”

I also wrote this (in case you missed it): “Somewhere up the line, a manager at Domino’s decided that this low-paid, hourly worker was not important to the success of the company. Someone made the decision that he didn’t need to understand the goals of the company and that he didn’t need to understand how he contributed to the achievement of those goals. And it’s clear that no one thought he should be empowered to give the customer a good experience. Who can blame the kid for not caring?”

I’m serious. WHO CAN BLAME THE KID FOR NOT CARING? None of this was his fault, and I wasn’t nasty to him. I merely inquired. And remember, Jen. This blog is all about the connection between the reputation of an organization and the morale of its employees. It’s not about finding the best pizza deals (I do use coupons, by the way!). Perhaps I went a teeeeny bit overboard in my blog to make a point. Because if you knew me, you’d know that I have a really long fuse and rarely get upset. (So no problem if someone short-changes me or cuts me off.) You have taken my emphatic comments about how Domino’s created a culture that makes its employees apathetic, and have assumed this is how I felt and acted toward the employee. No, no, no. I actually felt sorry for the Domino’s guy. Remember, this is how I ended that post: “Every employee matters.”

Finally, if you didn’t visit my home page, you should. There, you’ll see that the axiom of this company is THE CUSTOMER IS NOT NUMBER ONE. That’s because we believe that THE EMPLOYEE IS NUMBER ONE. And that includes the guy behind the counter at Domino’s.

By: Erica

Erica — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:58:41 +0000

You can’t please everyone. I’m currently in my 6th year working a crappy minimum wage job, and I have concluded that everyone expects something different from me. If I explain the specials people will either thank me and take up the offer, ignore me, get mad because I’m wasting their time, or yell at me for trying to upsell them. If I’m nice to a customer sometimes they thank me, but for the most part I’m ignored or yelled at. I think it is important for customers to understand that the employees on the other side of the counter are a real people who work a job they most likely don’t want to work. We are not mind readers, if you want to know what sales and specials there are ask, otherwise I assume you don’t want to hear them.

By: Drew Schiller

Drew Schiller — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:46:02 +0000

I don't think there is any need to be rude, Jen. This is not an article about being pissy or cheap, it's an article about doing the right thing and companies treating their employees well. Read these blog posts, and you might understand more about how companies should train employees: Empower your employees for a better reputation How do you make your employees feel appreciated? Just ask them

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:25:32 +0000

If you are so willing to stop buying from a Dominoes for FOREVER over a $1 pizza, educate yourself on the offers and coupons. Goodness knows your reaction when someone actually shortchanges you or cuts you off on the road.You didn’t even want a third pizza to begin with when you made the phone call!

The employee was doing his job. If he/she had upsold to you, she/he would have been disobeying his/her manager. You may be the customer, but you are not paying the employee’s salary. In the end, obeying a manager is more important than disobeying for a pissy customer.

Boo hoo, Janet.

By: Janet Smith

Janet Smith — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:13:51 +0000

Holy pepperoni. These comments sure are thought-provoking. Jake, you don’t know me, but I’m definitely not a tight-wad. I’d like to address this subject in more depth, and will do so tomorrow. Please check back for my post on motivating hourly employees and inspiring them to be true ambassadors for their employers. It can be done. It can be done. It can be done. Peter, Jake, and everyone else…please check this blog tomorrow (May 2)!