by Kevin Stirtz Recently my friends Chip Bell and John Patterson shared with me this story of amazing service. It’s from their friend and client, Katy Wild. Chip and John call it “Boston Style Customer Service.” “Recently I lost my purse while traveling and then found it, thankfully, but not before missing my plane. So, I had 4 hours to kill in the Tulsa airport waiting for the next flight. While in the airport, the man at the shoe shine stand started a conversation and wanted to know if I needed my shoes shined. What else was I going to [...]
extra mile
Last week AT&T showed why you should hire people who care. Their customer service employee literally saved her customer’s life. Now Winn-Dixie is schooling us in the fine art of going the extra mile for your customers. Recently, employees in their Stuart, FL store helped two of their customers avoid losing almost $3000 as victim of a con artist. As the couple was about to send $2796 to supposedly get their grandson out of jail, the Winn-Dixie employees got involved. “Clerks at the store heard the story and persuaded her to delay sending the money until the story could be [...]
Here’s a perfect example of why companies should hire smart people who care. Recently an AT&T customer was talking with their customer service service department. He started having symptoms of a heart attack and eventually passed out during the call. Rather than hang up (because the customer became non-responsive) the AT&T employee (Kelly Hart) knew something was wrong so she called 911. The customer ended up in the hospital with a stent in a major artery. When he got out he let AT&T know what a wonderful person they have working for them. In fact, he and Ms. Hart finally [...]
Three Florida legislators have proposed a bill that would require restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus. While I know there are heated arguments on both sides of this issue, I like the idea. One reason I like it is because I’ve recently started counting calories and I am disappointed at being unable to measure the impact of my favorite restaurant meals.But a second reason is because also provides a useful application of how to give customers what they want, plus a little more. Too many businesses forget they need to go beyond the surface in serving their customers. [...]
Little things make all the difference in customer service. They can contribute to a positive and memorable experience. They can ruin an otherwise decent situation. An otherwise completely average encounter can turn into a source of endless referrals by adding a little thing or two. I’ve had a few recent examples: At my favorite sandwich shop I order a French Dip sub but I notice their roast beef is pink. I prefer mine cooked all the way through. As I start talking about an alternative, the young man taking my order makes a suggestion: “We could let it sit in [...]
Here’s a quick and easy way to have better experiences when you help your customers. This is especially useful in a complaint or service recovery situation. Thank your customers when they make your job easier. Recently I had a technical support issue with my website host company. Because we communicated via chat, I was able to provide him with a lot of background and technical information on the problem. (I had researched the issue before contacting technical support.) The experience was relatively fast and painless. And after it was all done the technical support guy thanked me for being so [...]
Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service: Give your customer a cookie And here are some additional thoughts on this topic… At my favorite coffee shop, they do a lot of things right for their customers. A recent example is how they handled a service recovery situation. I had placed a lunch order and it didn’t get prepared and served right away like usual. Someone forgot to process the order. After I asked about it, the employee apologized and took care of it very quickly. And, she included a chocolate chip cookie in my order at no charge. This [...]
Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service: Your first contact sets the bar for customer expectations And here are some additional thoughts on this topic… Is it always a good idea to “wow” your customers the first time they do business with you? Maybe not. Your first contact sets the bar for all future interactions. So if you really knock their socks off the first time, be ready to continue at that level. If you don’t, you risk losing their confidence and their trust. They’ll wonder why things have changed and if the change is permanent. Once they start [...]
Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service: Be unusually good every time And here are some additional thoughts on this topic… Recently I called our local auto service shop. Steve, the service representative, was busy on another call. He told me so and asked if I didn’t mind holding. I said I didn’t so I proceeded to wait on hold. While I was waiting I had to hang up to take another call. And seconds after I ended that call, Steve called back and apologized for not being able to help me faster. Here’s what thrills me about this:
“If you care at all, you’ll get some results. If you care enough, you’ll get incredible results.” -Jim Rohn Author of: Lessons on Life: How to Live a Successful Life
