Suggestion box
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The suggestion box is used for collecting slips of
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...
with input from
customer In sales, commerce, and economics, a customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product or an idea - obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier via a financial transaction or exchange for ...
s and
patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
s of a particular organization. Suggestion boxes may also exist internally, within an organization, such as means for garnering
employee Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other ...
opinion.


History

Daniel W. Voorhees, a U.S Senator from
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
first introduced the suggestion box in 1890. Voorhees referred to this box as "The Petition Box". Just like the suggestion box this provided a space for American's to offer their feedback. The photo on the left depicts the suggestion box used during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in the 1940s. The federal government encouraged factory workers to leave suggestions on how to increase efficiency and productivity. Throughout the years variations of this method included paper feedback forms which can be sent via postal mail, such as the "We value your input" or "How was the service today?" cards found in some
restaurants A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearanc ...
; solicitations to provide comments over the
telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
, such as a voluntary survey at the end of a transaction with a
call center A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center (American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephone. ...
, or even an invitation on a printed store
receipt A receipt (also known as a packing list, packing slip, packaging slip, (delivery) docket, shipping list, delivery list, bill of the parcel, manifest, or customer receipt) is a document acknowledging that a person has received money or propert ...
to call and complete a
customer satisfaction Customer satisfaction (often abbreviated as CSAT) is a term frequently used in marketing. It is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. Customer satisfaction is defined as "the number of ...
survey (sometimes offered with a product discount); or the placement of feedback
forms Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data * ...
on an institution's
website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...
. The suggestion box for
customer In sales, commerce, and economics, a customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product or an idea - obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier via a financial transaction or exchange for ...
comments going beyond an ordinary
point of service The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place at which a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoice ...
has several benefits. Suggestion boxes provide some degree of
anonymity Anonymity describes situations where the acting person's identity is unknown. Some writers have argued that namelessness, though technically correct, does not capture what is more centrally at stake in contexts of anonymity. The important idea he ...
from the person or service that a customer may be critiquing. Therefore yielding a more frank and open feedback. Anonymous feedback increases the opportunities for obtaining accurate
market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Mark ...
data and improving
customer relations Customer relationship management (CRM) is a process in which a business or other organization administers its interactions with customers, typically using data analysis to study large amounts of information. CRM systems compile data from a ra ...
. Soon enough the ideology behind the suggestion box gained momentum and was introduced into corporate settings. Management would use the comments left in the box to assess the workplace culture. Companies since have adopted their own versions of this solicitation model to better fit their needs.


Modern versions

The physical box, as a
post box A post box (British English; also written postbox; also known as pillar box), also known as a collection box, mailbox, letter box or drop box (American English) is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intend ...
, was replaced by an electronic form of communication; like postal service systems was replaced, in the 2000s, by
email Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
. The traditional function, "''obtaining additional comments, questions, and requests''", still exist as a demand: collecting information with input from customers and patrons of a particular organization, or means for garnering employee input. During this age of fast moving technology the physical suggestion box simply cannot keep up. In some contexts the modern suggestion box is a webpage with an anonymous form, for example an online reviews, anonymous digital feedback, employee suggestion programs, and employee review sites such as
Indeed Indeed is an American worldwide employment website for job listings launched in November 2004. It is an independent subsidiary of multinational holding Recruit (company), Recruit Co. Ltd. It is co-headquartered in Austin, Texas, and Stamford, Co ...
. In other contexts, it turned into a complete
issue tracking system An issue tracking system (also ITS, trouble ticket system, support ticket, request management or incident ticket system) is a computer software package that manages and maintains lists of issues. Issue tracking systems are generally used in coll ...
, which allows the following main features (that was impossible with the old classic suggestion boxes): * Store the entire history suggestions in a
database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...
: each suggestion receives a "ticket number", and a detailed suggestion-form is stored; * Allow the user and the company monitor the status on your routing: each ticket receives a status, that changes with its progress in the audition feedback or the problem-resolution. Running a suggestion program virtually can be beneficiary regarding greater transparency, clear and direct communication, and a more effective feedback loop.


Employee crowdsourcing

Gathering employee opinions with a suggestion box can also be fruitful, especially in
groupthink Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness ...
-prone environments and within a
corporate culture Historically there have been differences among investigators regarding the definition of organizational culture. Edgar Schein, a leading researcher in this field, defined "organizational culture" as comprising a number of features, including a ...
that adheres to a "
shoot the messenger "Shooting the messenger" is a metaphoric phrase used to describe the act of blaming the bearer of bad news. Until the advent of modern telecommunication, messages were usually delivered by human envoys. For example, in war, a messenger would b ...
" mentality. However, as with the use of anonymous suggestion forms from the public, allowing unsigned comments may sacrifice
accountability Accountability, in terms of ethics and governance, is equated with answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving. As in an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the publ ...
and make the feedback system prone to abuse. Employers can also gather employee opinion by posing questions and gathering everyone's opinion anonymously through crowdsourcing. Using the employee's knowledge, crowdsourcing techniques have been known to promot
"New Innovations"
Recording received suggestions in a
database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases sp ...
can help track any trends. While some systems keep suggestions private, some systems make suggestions public, allowing other people to endorse the suggestion rather than creating a similar one. This voting system allows organizers to quickly see what is most suggested. Much like suggestion box allows employees to give ideas, internal company crowdsourcing gauges employee opinions on ideas or suggestions.


See also

* State Department Sounding Board *
Issue tracking system An issue tracking system (also ITS, trouble ticket system, support ticket, request management or incident ticket system) is a computer software package that manages and maintains lists of issues. Issue tracking systems are generally used in coll ...
*
Post box A post box (British English; also written postbox; also known as pillar box), also known as a collection box, mailbox, letter box or drop box (American English) is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intend ...
*
Labor rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influen ...
* Corporate surveillance


References

{{Aspects of organizations Customer experience Business intelligence