Congratulations and thank you for joining the Service Excellence recognition mission at Carleton!
These resources are not just for managers and directors; they can be used by all staff and faculty members. A culture of recognition requires that everyone at Carleton make the time to recognize Excellent Service!
It all starts with an attitude of gratitude.
Carleton Service Excellence in action!
Recognizing Service Excellence can be done either formally or informally, for an individual or a team. Formal recognition initiatives can be used on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis. Informal recognition initiatives are used when it is merited – when you see someone truly enacting the Service Excellence Standards of: We Care, We are Professionals, We are Responsive, We are Reliable and Courteous, and/or We Treat Everyone as an Individual.
Informal ideas for recognizing Service Excellence
Whichever approach you take be sure to communicate informal recognition plans to your team to ensure that they are comfortable with it. Ask what your staff or colleagues prefer: in person or note/email? Or in private or in public? Do they like sweet or salty snacks? This is essential for informal recognition initiatives!
- Submit an Excellence ‘O Gram
- Write a thank you note by hand
- Leave the staff member a voicemail recognizing and thanking them for their Excellent work
- Forward voicemails and/or emails that you may receive praising Excellent service
- Smile and say “Thank You!” for something specific
- Organize a celebration to recognize Excellent Service after a peak period (could be a Friday afternoon break with popcorn or your teams favourite snacks)
- Give out a Lindt Excellence mini chocolate bar at the end of the day (sold at Dollarama and Micheal’s) to a staff member who really went above and beyond the call of duty (especially helpful during peak periods)
Formal ideas for recognizing Service Excellence
Whichever approach you take be sure to communicate formal recognition plans to your team to ensure that they are comfortable with it. Ask what your staff or colleagues prefer: in person or note/email? Or in private or in public? Do they like sweet or salty snacks? This is essential for informal recognition initiatives!
- Share a story of Excellent Service at every staff meeting. Have a staff member recount their service highlight from the week/month; we suggest calling this agenda item “Service Excellence in Action”!
- Create a Departmental peer recognition program – whereby staff nominate each other for the Service Excellence award every month.
- Take a team photo holding up the Service Excellence Standards (we care, we are professionals, we are responsive, we are reliable & courteous, and we treat everyone as individuals). Then have your staff commit to providing Service Excellence by signing the mat.
- Create a Service Excellence calendar and for every day of the month put up a post-it highlighting 1 staff members’ excellent service interaction (oversized calendars are available at the CU bookstore or Grand & Toy)
- Create a series of “You’re Excellent because…” cards that you distribute amongst your team
- Offer a team standing ovation for Service Excellence at your next staff meeting where everyone takes a moment to recognize each other’s actions (especially helpful after peak periods)
- Arrange for your AVP, Dean, or the VP to call the staff member, send a thank you note, or stop by in person for a hand shake for excellent work
- Ask the staff member to train new staff members about your Department’s Service Excellence Standards
- Collect “words of wisdom” for Service Excellence from each staff member, compile them and then share them with your team
- Create a recognition board for your Department where you can post feedback from students, staff, faculty, guests, etc.
- Have your staff members identify their Service Excellence standard “area of expertise” and have them submit 1 or 2 tips for that standard. Once you compile them, share them with the team.
Please send your Service Excellence recognition ideas to serviceexcellence@carleton.ca and we’ll add them to our list!