How to Identify Highest and Lowest Performers
Data-Driven Ways to Spot What’s Working (and What’s Not)

Every business has rockstars. And every business has quiet underperformers.

The challenge? Most managers can’t see who’s who-especially in field teams, distributed staff, or customer-facing roles.

Gut feelings and guesswork only go so far. If you want to grow your business, you need to clearly and consistently identify your highest and lowest performers based on real data.

Here’s how to do that, fairly and effectively.

1. Start with Outcomes, Not Just Effort

Activity is easy to track. But it doesn’t always equal results.

A technician who completes 10 jobs a day isn’t necessarily better than one who does 6-especially if the latter generates more 5-star reviews or fewer callbacks.

So instead of only tracking:

• Jobs completed

• Calls answered

• Hours worked

Also look at:

• Customer satisfaction

• Review volume and quality

• Revenue generated per job

• Repeat customer rates

That’s where the performance gap reveals itself.

2. Use Consistent, Role-Specific Metrics

Every role should have its own definition of success.

For example:

• A sales rep might be measured by close rate or average contract value

• A field technician could be tracked by first-time fix rate and customer feedback

• A front-desk worker might be judged on response time and issue resolution

Avoid vague goals like “Be professional” or “Have a good attitude.” Instead, set clear and measurable KPIs tied to real outcomes.

3. Get Feedback From the Source: The Customer

One of the most overlooked tools for measuring performance? Customer feedback.

No one sees the impact of your team more clearly than the people they serve.

Encourage:

• In-the-moment surveys

• Post-service reviews

• Direct responses to interactions

When feedback is tied to specific employees, it creates accountability and recognition-both of which fuel motivation.

4. Look for Patterns Over Time

Performance isn’t a one-week snapshot-it’s a pattern.

Look for:

• Consistency in high (or low) reviews

• Repeat praise or complaints mentioning the same individual

• Team members who bounce back from mistakes-or don’t

Patterns tell you who’s growing, who’s coasting, and who might need coaching or a new role.

5. Use Cheers to Automate Frontline Visibility

At Cheers, we make this process easy-and incredibly accurate.

Our NFC-powered badges let customers leave a review, referral, or tip with a single tap-directly tied to the employee who earned it.

That means you get:

• Clear records of who’s creating great experiences

• Real-time performance data across your team

• Recognition and reward systems based on facts, not feelings

With Cheers, you no longer have to guess who your best reps are. The data shows you.