It’s easy to rant about poor customer service. But today, I want to shine the spotlight on several companies that have recently given me exceptional customer service:
My 17-year-old son and I got up early Saturday morning and headed to Dream Dinners’ Mill Creek, WA store to assemble 12 dinners for the upcoming month (you pop the uncooked dinners in your freezer and when you’re ready to eat one, you just thaw and cook).
When we walked in the door, we smelled a nauseating raw sewage odor. Their plumbing had backed up during the night, and while the store was sparkling clean, the lingering smell was stomach-churning. The staff told us they’d called us, but we had already left home.
They shooed us to the coffee shop across the street, saying, “We don’t want you to have to smell this horrible odor. We’ll assemble all your meals for you. Come back in half an hour and pick them up.”
True to their word, they did all our work for us while my son and I enjoyed bonding time over coffee and donuts. Plus, they threw in a free batch of cookie dough. Think we’ll be back next month? Definitely.
Mardini’s restaurant
My friend, Jenn, discovered a 2-year-old $50 gift certificate for a local restaurant and suggested we try to use it for our lunch date. We asked the owners if they would honor the ancient certificate, and without hesitation, they said, “Certainly.”
In this day of “Sorry, our gift certificate expired,” it was refreshing to meet people who are willing to honor their gift certificates, no matter how outdated they are.
One of my clients accidentally sent me an unsigned paycheck, which my business manager didn’t notice before depositing it in the automatic teller machine. The credit union didn’t cash the check and charged us $25 for insufficient funds. When we called BECU to report the mistake, they immediately reversed the charge (it “pays” to be a reliable, long-time customer).
I love this greeting card service in which I create personalized cards online and they print them, address them, stamp them, and mail them for me. But during the holiday rush, their quality control people didn’t inspect my Christmas cards, and the family photo on the front of my cards was printed wrong. Really wrong. When I informed them of the error, they apologized and instantly refunded the entire cost of the cards – including postage.
The week before Christmas, I visited the outlet store at the Seattle Premium Outlets mall. Tried on a dozen items; purchased two items. I told them I’d asked for a gift card for Christmas, and that I’d be back to spend it. A week later, I returned, gift card in hand. When I walked in the door, a sales clerk greeted me and said, “You were in here a week or so ago, weren’t you?”
Amazed that she’d remembered me during the busy holiday shopping season, I said, “Yes, but you didn’t wait on me. How did you remember me?”
She just shrugged. “I’m not sure; I just make a point of remembering people.”
She not only remembered my face; she remembered what I had purchased AND what size I wear (yes, I purchased additional items).
Superior customer service isn’t rocket science. From my experiences alone, we can glean a few guidelines:
- Make your customers feel important. Remember their faces. Their names. Their preferences.
- Honor your promises.
- Respond quickly and pleasantly to customer concerns and complaints.
- When you make a mistake, apologize. A simple, “I’m sorry” carries a tremendous amount of weight.
- Deliver more than you have to. Even a little bit of extra effort can reap huge dividends.
- Practice saying “yes.” If a customer requests something reasonable, make it happen.
What about you? Share one positive customer experience you’ve had lately.
