Service

A couple weeks ago I wrote about an experience I had with an Einstein Bros. Bagel employee.  This was one of the best customer experiences I have ever had.  In that post, I explained that to me, great client service comes down to one thing:

Give more attention and care to the person  you’re serving  than he or she ever expects to receive

I also threw out a challenge for us all.  I wanted people to share stories of great client service they’ve given recently, or of great service they have received.  There is enough bad news in the world, so this is a way to focus on the positive.  Over the past two weeks, I’ve received several e-mails and calls with stories.  Today I heard one from my mother-in-law that I want to share.  She was inspired by the post.

Elaine is the nursing supervisor over the night shift at a hospital in California.  Recently, she was working and received a call from a woman in another town.  This woman needed to come to the hospital for medication that it was critical for her to have.  She had no car.  She had no money.

Elaine had printed my post about exemplary client service and had been carrying it around on her clipboard at work.  She reflected on the story and knew what she needed to do.  She told the woman that she would personally pay for a cab to come pick her up, bring her to the hospital, then take her home.  This ensured that the woman would not have any adverse reaction without her medication.  It also showed the woman that someone out there cared for her.  What a great example of how going out of your way for one person can really change things.  I am thrilled that she was inspired to do this.

What about you?  Do you have any stories of great customer service?  Please share them in the comments.  So tweet it and let’s see how many great customer service stories we can get!

Einstein Bros. Bagels

I want to tell you a story that illustrates how important each interaction you have with your clients, or potential clients is.  How each and every interaction can mean something that can help make or break your company brand.  This story is about my experience with Einstein Bros. Bagels.

Now, I must tell you that I had never been in an Einstein Bros. Bagel shop before.  I looked online and learned that the nearest one to my house is 20- 25 miles away, thus explaining why I had not been there.  My story takes place in Louisville, KY several weeks ago.  I arrived in Louisville early for HRevolution so I would have time to run to Kinkos for some last minute printing.  I quickly got settled in my room and headed out on foot in search of Kinkos.

I walked a short distance and quickly realized I was not going to be able to find Kinkos by just walking around.  So, I popped into the Einstein Bros. Bagel shop to ask if they could point me in the right direction.  The manager began to tell me how to get to Kinkos.  Suddenly, she stepped from behind the counter.  She walked me over to the windows and proceeded to tell me which turns to take.  That right there would have impressed me.  But, there was more in store for me.  As I thanked her for the directions and headed to the door, she yelled, “Wait!”  I spun around to see what had happened.  She came back around the counter to me and said, “Let me take you there.”

I was stunned.

She proceeded to take me through some intricate internal tunnels that connect the hotel Einstein Bros. Bagels is located in to the other end of the block.  She chatted during our walk about herself, about where I was visiting from, etc.  It was a pleasant 3-4 block walk. Would you believe she walked me far enough so that I could see the Kinkos sign?  Well, she did.  I thanked her profusely and went on my way.

I’ve thought about her many times since then.  She really impacted me.  And, I never bought anything from her.  Yet, she still treated me with more respect and coutesy than I ever expected.  She was an amazing representative of Einstein Bros. Bagels.  She ensured that in the future, I will likely go out of my way to purchase Einstein Bros. Bagels just as she went out of her way to provide great service to me.

Exemplary client service.

Sounds good, right?  It’s definitely something we all love to receive, and truth be told, it’s fun to be on the giving end as well.  I started thinking about it the other night when I saw a tweet in my stream that said there is a lot of bad client (or customer) service this time of year.

I have an idea of what makes good client service and it isn’t a “Top 10″ list or even a “Top 5″.  It’s one thing….

Give more attention and care to the person  you’re serving  than he or she ever expects to receive.

That is my silver bullet.

I began researching online and found numerous books and articles that tell you to hand write thank you notes, to give freebies to clients, or to call them before they call you, to name a few.  But those all fall within my idea of going the extra mile to give someone personal attention.

So, here’s my challenge to you.  I want you to do something this shopping season and going forward:

• Keep your eyes peeled for great customer service
• Emulate the good service you witness
• Leave a comment here to share an example of exemplary client service. The more comments we receive we’ll be able to see that there really are people out there who go the extra mile.  Let’s prove that tweet I saw wrong!