I’ve seen a few examples of the power of customer service this week, and it propelled me to write on what a huge impact it can have. For example, I participated in 3 full days of ERP demonstrations in order to provide expertise on which software would be the best fit for achieving business results. There was a person (Brian) assigned to stock the room with drinks and bring in food for breakfast and lunch each day as demos can be long days. He happened to notice on the first morning that I didn’t drink the coffee and hadn’t seen the cooler with water, and so I took out a can of Zevia (a diet coke without the bad sugars) from my briefcase. He asked about it, where they sell it etc. The next morning there were several cans of Zevia in the cooler already chilled. How impressive!
I never would have asked for him to do that, but he went over and beyond with customer service. I asked about him later on and found out that he was in marketing and had told my colleague the story of how he was hired. He had always admired my client and so when he was between jobs, he stopped by to see about a job. The owner happened to see him in the lobby with a bunch of materials he had put together on them, and so he stopped to talk with him. The owner was impressed with what he had put together and hired him, even though there was no job posted at the time. I thought this was a great story as it is a perfect example of how it “begins and ends with leadership” and the impacts you have can extend in never-expected directions. Imagine if Brian goes over and beyond for my drink what he must do for their customers!
One tip to implement this week:
Think about what you can do like what Brian did. What simple thing can you do for your customer, your supplier, your colleague, your manager and the like. Pay attention to what would make a difference. In my case, I never would have thought to ask yet I was very appreciative and felt like a special customer/ partner because of his gesture. Zevias are not expensive, yet it was powerful. No matter your budget or position, there will be several ideas like this you could implement each day if you are looking for them. Do you think I am even more favorable about working with this client and more inclined to go the extra mile for them? Of course!
July 10, 2015