Task Clarification, Performance Feedback, and Social Praise: Procedures for Improving the Customer Service of Bank Tellers

Abstract

Customer service for bank tellers was defined in terms of 11 verbal behavior categories. An audio-recording system was used to track the occurrence of behaviors in these categories for six retail banking tellers. Three behavior management interventions (task clarification, performance feedback, and social praise), applied in sequence, were designed to improve overall teller performance with regard to the behavioral categories targeted. Clarification was accomplished by providing clear delineation of the various target categories, with specific examples of the behaviors in each. Feedback entailed presentation of ongoing verbal and visual information regarding teller performance. Praise consisted of verbal recognition of teller performance by branch managers. Results showed that clarification effects emerged quickly, producing an overall increase in desired behaviors of 12% over baseline. Feedback and praise effects occurred more gradually, resulting in overall increases of 6% and 7%, respectively. A suspension of all procedures led to a decline in overall performance, whereas reinstatement of feedback and praise was again accompanied by performance improvement. These findings extend the generality of behavior management applications and help to distinguish between possible antecedent and consequent effects of performance feedback.

A feasibility study of a web-based performance improvement system for substance abuse treatment providers

“…This monthly newsletter, the PF Newsletter, (1) recognized the accomplishments of participating clinic teams, (2) presented actual data from participating clinics, (3) promoted the use of evidencebased practices, and (4) provided information about quality improvement and the PF system. The provision of social recognition for the clinic teams is derived from Stajkovic and Luthans (1997) and Alvero et al (2001) and relies on the results of feedback studies across a variety of settings (e.g., Crowell, Anderson, Abel, & Sergio, 1988;Huberman & O'Brien, 1999;Nicol & Hantula, 2001). In each issue of the PF Newsletter, team innovations and achievements of individual clinics were recognized with depictions of actual clinic reports (with permission and only focusing on clinicwide scores, not individual clinician reports), team photographs, quotes, and identification of the staff by name (all with signed permission).…”

An Analysis of Feedback from a Behavior Analytic Perspective

“…Several authors have pointed out that feedback implies two functions-one involving information about accuracy of performance and the other involving reinforcement (Crowell et al 1988;Prue and Fairbank 1981;Roscoe et al 2006). The former is expected to exert discriminative control and the latter consequential control.…”

Reducing Wait Time in a Hospital Pharmacy to Promote Customer Service

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Wilson et al 16 implemented a task clarification workshop for police officers to increase the knowledge of courteous behaviors (eg, promptness, voice tone, smiling, and greeting) and found increases in these behaviors ranging from 7% to 28%. Wilson and his colleagues further evaluated the effects of praise and corrective feedback in addition to task clarification.…”