Is constructive criticism essential to the success of any business? Or, is it more , In my house, y
wingedliberty
Posts: 4,805 ✭✭✭
This is very interesting. I will respect the forum's new rules, everyone better be on their toes, Criticism is highly subjective.
Brian.
Brian.
0
Comments
Neil
If you say bad stuff about PCGS you will be booted, which might be aking to - if you say bad stuff about [fill in the blank] we'll send you to the Russian front.
Granted, the forum is a lively place, and there is plenty of cajoling going on on between numismatic discussion, but this is what makes it enjoyable, as well as informative, and what makes this message board quite different from the one across the street.
I see the public proclamation of censoring posts that are negative about PCGS a really bad idea.
Just in case my membership on this forum gets pulled abruptly (like five or so minutes from now), I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and value the many friendships I have made here buying, selling and conversing.
sf
I remember a couple of years ago when I was on the management team of a fairly large company. We had about 600 employee pilots who constantly got on our web site and ragged on the company. So...we censored the chat room on the website.
Result was that our employees felt we were dismissive of their concerns and the complaints headed to all parts of the internet universe such that it was even more difficult for effective communications with our employees and customers. So, instead of having a fairly innocuous sight for folks to vent their frustrations. We offended all of our employees and the volume of the concerns were increased about 50 decibels at other sights. The situation repeated itself when we started our European division. We did not repeat the mistake that time and the complaints remained innocuous.
We learn from our mistakes. I learned from that one.
K S
go back and review all the threads about pepperdoodles, that should be a good starting place. right, wrong or indifferent, there are probably 50 members from all those threads who should be holding there collective breath if that is there typical response pattern. those threads were shameful at best and embarrasing at their low point of decorum and childishness.
someone once told me that honesty without compassion is cruelty. he was of course referring to inter-personal relationships. on a stage such as this forum, honesty without some measure of tact is ignorant. i have no doubt been guilty of that, as many otherwise upstanding members have, also. HRH has just stated that a repeating pattern of that type of posting will not be tolerated. it's about time we have that.
get responsible or get put out. is that too much to ask or to hard to understand??
al h.
they grade and sell. It seems unlikely now that they'll suddenly become hyper-semsitive
to constructive or any other kind of criticisms. It may well be a poor time to rag on them,
or their interests, however.
Maybe next weekend.
Brian.
If there is no criticism, then there will be no growth in the relationship and the relationship is doomed. If the criticism is harsh or unjust or unwarrented, there will be no growth in the relationship and the relationship is doomed. If the criticism is all one-sided, there will be no growth and the relationship is doomed.
The trick is to find the middle ground and stay there.
Total Copper Nutcase - African, British Ships, Channel Islands!!!
'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup'
Some of the stuff we've been wading in around here of late IMO has been over the top.
There was an off-topic thread on this forum moved to the open forum today. I was glad to see that. Glad to see that somebody is on duty around here.
I don't believe any party using good judgment, or who doesn't have a covert agenda has any reason to get up in arms about this. If it turns out I am wrong and censorship is doled out with an iron fist, then... it will be to the detriment of all.
Clankeye
believe they got there by listening to collectors, I also agree strongly that
its nice to see the pepperdoodle like nonsense filtered out and thoughtful
standards of discussion re-enstated.
Brian
<< <i>attitudes beget attitudes >>
So simple and so true. Yet seemingly so often not understood around here.
Clankeye
has the remarkable series we have , thanks to Resident Bard Clankeye.
Camelot
Is constructive criticism essential to the success of any business? No!
Constructive criticism from all customers can be very helpful in assessing success, but it is not the only way. Often, opening the door for everyone's opinion of how you do business is time consuming and counter productive. The fact of the matter is that astute business executives (and I would suggest that HRH falls in that catagory) maintain a close knit inner circle of people comprised of key employees, key vendors, and yes--key customers. They are much more informed than most think. They know their shortcomings well before you experience them. They have been measuring corrective options for quite some time. It is a constant evaluation of cost vs benefit. When the most effective solution is determined, the astute executive will act accordingly.
Fact..........The crap you see posted on this board is not constructive criticism. It is nothing more than a dirty laundry list of situational dissatisfaction. If you want to provide constructive criticism, I suggest you pick up the phone, write a letter, or send off an e-mail. Constructive criticism is not posted in a message forum for the world to see.
In my house, you play by my rules? Yes!
Of course that is the case. The Golden Rule of Business is the only hard and fast rule that exists for everyone.
He who has the gold.......Makes the rules!
CU gets to decide who they do business with and how they do it. The only restriction is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which suggests they cannot use race, sex, religion, national origin,color and creed in the basis of that decision (of course being in CA they have to abide by the wacko state laws of sexual preference among others). All this crap about freedom of speech is irrelevent to this forum. CU operates in the private sector, not the public sector. This is a private club so you can throw that Freedom of Speech stuff down the drain. CU's house....CU's rules.
Now, with all that said, I certainly hope that CU rarely ever utilizes the golden rule.
I almost wrote a special "Class" today. It would have gone like this:
"Good Morning Class" - Special Edition!
Mrs. Coinboard: Good Morning Class!
--Silence--
...Class?
Kieferscoins: Um, they're all gone, Mrs. Coinboard.
Mrs. CB: Gone...?
Kieferscoins: They got the boot.
Mrs. CB: ...oh.
--Silence--
Kieferscoins: Mrs. Coinboard?
Mrs. CB: Yes, dear?
Kieferscoins: Got JFK's?
Camelot
<< <i>If you want to provide constructive criticism, I suggest you pick up the phone, write a letter, or send off an e-mail. >>
FatMan,
I completely agree with that assertion, and that has always been my first, second and sometimes third approach. My guess is that it is also the way most others initially try to solve a problem. However, after one has beaten their head against the wall several times and gotten nothing but a nasty headache in return, it can occasionally be necessary to turn to a public venue in order to get a response.
I've had a lot of good experiences with PCGS, for example their superlative handling of a doctored coin that I got stuck with. I posted a detailed thread about how pleased I was with their response to that situation, and did so only after it was resolved. I worked through the system and they handled it perfectly.
But I have a also, like many others, received somewhat less than satisfactory service and responses, (or NO response at all), from PCGS on other issues. When working through the system has been to no avail, I have discussed them publicly.
Bottom line for me is that I think we should all give PCGS a chance to solve a problem before bringing it here, but when that doesn't happen, this forum should be an option. It benefits both we as collectors, and PCGS as a company.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>Bottom line for me is that I think we should all give PCGS a chance to solve a problem before bringing it here, but when that doesn't happen, this forum should be an option. It benefits both we as collectors, and PCGS as a company. >>
Russ
I agree wholeheartedly.
I repeat....I certainly hope that CU rarely ever utilizes the golden rule.
Sure, they can squash the critical messages but they will spring up elsewhere. In places where they won't even know what is being said or who is saying it.
Does censorship really work? NO! Iraq tries to censor/block Western media but all the wealthy neighborhoods have pirated satellite! Same in Iran. The people want something and they find ways to get it.
PCGS should take the criticsm as a starting point to improve operations, not pretend like nothing is wrong! Fingerprints on coins? Address the issue! Slow submission returns? Find out why!
Constructive criticism is essential for business success. If your customers are leaving and you don't know why you have a problem!
I have been a major supporter of PCGS and firmly believe they have THE best and most accurate grading. BUT this latest move is more likely to bury issues within the collecting community and make it more difficult for them to find out what's wrong and needs to be fixed.
Clankeye
What I have seen here in actual fact is that trolls and jerks run their course. There's the Big Uproar over something-or-another, everybody drops what they're doing to run over and watch the fight. Then people get tired, the diversion gets old, and everybody goes back to business.
There's a lot of self-policing that goes on here, like in real life. Some overt, some subtle. I can't tell you how many times I've seen threads like "I'm outta here. This place has gotten so petty..." yadda yadda. The solution is--and always has been--let it run its course. It always settles back to "normal" after awhile. Kinda like the weather.
Same goes for PCGS bashing. I think PCGS has made a master stroke to set up this forum and leave it open. Look at the participation! What business could ask for better exposure! What in the WORLD could be better than having hundreds of coin collectors on here, see some unfair attack on PCGS, and see knowledgeable members of the numismatic community setting the troll straight, while PCGS sits back in noble silence?
What could be worse than some pric*kly, defensive response from PCGS when that happens? That'd turn the ire toward PCGS, no matter how "warranted" such a response may be.
It is, of course, PCGS' "right" to set the rules. I think the rules in place are plenty, and Carol's good--natured management of the place (with a few well-chosen barbs by BJ) has been well-placed.
I see NO reason for PCGS to change their successful formula around here, and intrude on the process. I really think that from a business point of view, that would be self-defeating, and would backfire again and again.
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
The Ludlow Brilliant Collection (1938-64)
<< <i>I see NO reason for PCGS to change their successful formula around here, and intrude on the process. >>
dpoole--you make good points. I guess the reason I'm a little laid back about it is I kind of have a feeling we aren't really going to see much intrusion or change at all. If I am wrong about that, I will certainly eat these words. But, I would be surprised if this post ushers in a new era of militancy around here.
As the cliche goes, only time will tell.
Clankeye
Camelot
Do you think this forum is the only way that PCGS listens to customers? They get e-mails all the time. They get calls to their customer service centers. They likely have a "customer council" with different customer groups that they can hodl meetings with at major shows and perhaps fly annually to headquarters to review key new programs.
I like the idea of the Q&A forum for airing key PCGS issues. PCGS can respond to issues without all the mindless banter. If they choose to make the issue public for comment, they can move it to the Coin Forum.
Let's all start acting like professionals. I think PCGS will allow discussion of their services, including constructive criticism. Constructive is the key word.
NOTE: No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
Type collector since 1981
Current focus 1855 date type set
<< <i>Do you think this forum is the only way that PCGS listens to customers? >>
Maybe if they (censor) to their customers they wouldn't get (censor) here (and now with censorship, they will not have to deal with the (censor) (censor) (censor) (censor)). Maybe it is the (censor) for some (censor) when there is a lack of (censor) from (censor).
I remember a thread here by a (censor) , who only had the issue resolved after (censor) (censor) (censor) here (censor) (censor) (censor).
I do not suggest the customer is alway right, however, I do not believe the customer is always wrong.
Constructive critisizm is a positive attribute, and to prevent constructive critisizm is a way of (censor).
President, Racine Numismatic Society 2013-2014; Variety Resource Dimes; See 6/8/12 CDN for my article on Winged Liberty Dimes; Ebay