Using Goals, Feedback, Reinforcement, and a Performance Matrix to Improve Customer Service in a Large Department Store

Abstract

This study employed an ABAC and multiple baseline design to evaluate the effects of (B) feedback and (C) a package of feedback, goalsetting, and reinforcement (supervisor praise and an area-wide celebration as managed through a performance matrix, on a total of 14 various customer service behaviors for a total of 115 employees at a large department store. In order to develop the intervention components in a manner that linked to organizational needs, an organizational functional assessment was first conducted using the Performance Diagnostic Checklist. The study occurred over a period of approximately 15 weeks, and the interventions were applied and evaluated across three departments, including cashiers, “Hardlines” sales, and “Softlines” sales. In all cases the behaviors occurred more often during the intervention phases than during either of the two baseline phases. The percent occurrence for all behaviors was also higher during the second baseline phase than during the first baseline. However, the percentages dropped noticeably for each measure during the second baseline after withdrawal of the feedback. The percentage point increase on the dependent measure scores from baseline 1 to the feedback (B) phase ranged from 30.7% for smiling in Hardlines to 64.9% for eye contact in Softlines. During the package intervention phase (C), increases in the dependent measure scores ranged from 29.3% for small talk in Softlines to 49.9% for eye contact in Hardlines. Effect sizes were large in all cases, ranging from 1.58 to 2.42 for individual behaviors across conditions. Results are discussed in terms of the scale of the application, the effects of feedback and reinforcement in this and similar settings, and the use of a performance matrix as a management tool.