Why You Should Give Compliments on Twitter (& In Person)

I had no idea my less-than-one minute social media share and 30 second conversation with a store manager would bring about a promotion and increase of hours for a local Michael’s employee. Here’s what happened.

Framing that LA Masters Print

I have major insecurity about choosing the right frames for art, and so I had been putting off having my Picasso-esque LA Masters print framed.

I know a simple black frame will never go out of style, but I already have a lot of black around the house.

When my friend Carolyn from Chicago came to visit I made her go with me to both Michael’s and Aaron Brothers and spend too much time looking matting and frames. In the end, she found a frame that had been marked down to about $12 which was a welcome surprise.

But bargain hunting is not the point of this story.

While we were at Michael’s a very personable millennial with blueish hair helped us in the frame department.

Confession: I had like six items to frame, some needed fancier frames and some needed to match each other, some needed mats, others didn’t. You get the idea–I had a lot of framing needs.

My friend and I spent quite a while at the counter with the framer and we started joking with him and just chatting. At the point when he said he was not allowed to cut my LA Masters poster–store policy–to get it to fit into the bargain frame, my friend asked for scissors which he handed over which an amused smile.

And yes I did–cut the poster myself with scissors.

Then there were three antique maps (that I had purchased for my husband for Christmas like four years ago) that needed a frame with a goldish-silverish-bronzeish tones and I just didn’t see one I liked at Michaels. We said goodbye, leaving the LA Masters print and my husband’s vintagey Mammoth ski poster which was intended to be the companion print with the horse print,PI with our new millennial friend. On we went to the next frame store.

He Showed Us More Horse Art

After finding perfect frames at the second store, and returning to Michael’s our framer friend said, “Someone else was just here and she is framing a set of those horse prints. Do you want to see them?” So he went into the back room and brought out the LA, Paris, and Honk Kong versions of the Longines Masters prints to show us.

This was totally unnecessary, but delighted me.

The In-Person Compliment

Before we left the store, Carolyn and I found the manager and said we wanted her to know how awesome our framer was.  We said we hoped she would tell him and the higher ups in the company. Her response was that usually when people talk to her about customer service its because they have a complaint. We assured her we had only praise, and that we wanted to make sure our high opinion was communicated back to the helpful framer.

Picking Up the Art

I loved both pieces– the ski print and the horse jumping one. I Tweeted Michaels to compliment the store and the framer. When I returned a second time to pick up yet another print, I saw the framer and he said, “You’re the one who Tweeted about me!” and then said that after the holidays his hours had been cut because the store had not achieved their sales goal.

He beamed as he said that he was getting his hours back AND a promotion! He said he even got a letter from Michael’s corporate to thank him for his service.

That has been one of the highlights of spring for me. To think that a couple of simple conversations–one with a store manager and one via social media helped a young man get recognized for his efforts with a promotion and increased hours.

I don’t always take the time to stop and compliment, but after this experience I want to make it more the rule rather than the exception.

Your Turn: Have you ever used social media to give praise for great service? Have you asked to see a manager to tell them about awesome service? 

Thanks for reading and trotting along! For more horsin’ around follow us (my horse Tiz A Knight, sometimes the dogs, and me) on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!