The Customer Service Survey
VocaLabs' weblog providing news and commentary on the challenges of providing good customer service.
Is It Getting Warmer or Not?
Thursday - March 02, 2006 04:21 PM in
A recurring theme here and in other VocaLabs writings surrounds the reliability of statistics, or more to the point, the objective presentation of survey questions and the misuse or misinterpretation of results.
There is good reason to be suspicious of data offered to further a point of view or particular agenda. And like the policeman who begins to view everyone with suspicion until proven otherwise, being in the business of statistics makes us even greater skeptics.
By way of example, earlier this week I was watching a feature story about global warming on the local news. I was following along nicely and thinking this was a balanced presentation on the issue right up until the point that the reporter made a statement that raised my "statistical suspicion" hackles. The illogic of his point had me doubting everything on the subject I'd previously believed.
When will anyone, whether a reporter or in some leadership role making persuasive arguments about any topic, realize that if you mislead or deceive us with faulty data, no matter how inconsequential the misdirection might be to the big picture; that they lose us altogether? Our logical brains tell us: "If I can't trust the speaker on this point, I can't trust anything they tell me." Examples are all around us. Once lost, trust is devilishly hard to get back.
Posted by Rick Rappe'
By way of example, earlier this week I was watching a feature story about global warming on the local news. I was following along nicely and thinking this was a balanced presentation on the issue right up until the point that the reporter made a statement that raised my "statistical suspicion" hackles. The illogic of his point had me doubting everything on the subject I'd previously believed.
When will anyone, whether a reporter or in some leadership role making persuasive arguments about any topic, realize that if you mislead or deceive us with faulty data, no matter how inconsequential the misdirection might be to the big picture; that they lose us altogether? Our logical brains tell us: "If I can't trust the speaker on this point, I can't trust anything they tell me." Examples are all around us. Once lost, trust is devilishly hard to get back.
Posted by Rick Rappe'
Posted at 04:21 PM by | | | |