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It’s Only Common Sense: Great Customer Service Stories

We all love wonderful customer service stories. For example, how about that time a Nordstrom employee gave a customer a refund for the snow tires he returned even though the company doesn’t sell tires? Or when a Saturn representative personally brought a new seat to a Saturn owner in Alaska whose passenger seat had broken? Or have you heard about the waitress who paid two firefighters’ breakfast bill one morning, and instead of the check, she wrote them a note thanking them for all that they do?

Again, we love those stories, especially when they have a kicker. Regarding the last story, the two firefighters found out that the waitress had a GoFundMe, trying to raise $17,000 for a wheelchair accessible van for her quadriplegic dad. They shared her cause and helped raised more than $85,000. It’s a heartwarming story that almost makes you tear up. There are many more of these stories out there; things like this happen every day. Stories of human kindness and great customer service are everywhere. In a way, customer service is where humanity supersedes business as usual.

I remember hearing the general manager of a quick-turn PCB facility talk about what his company did to get the boards out when I was a young man at an IPC Technology Market Research Conference (TMRC) meeting (remember those?); the company had a turnaround time of three days, which was unheard of back then. The general manager talked about getting in his car with a package containing some hot boards and chasing down the delivery truck because they didn’t have the package ready when the truck made its regular stop at their dock. I heard that story over 30 years ago, and I’m still telling it to this day.

When I was a humble sales guy on the road, I made it a point to visit customers on snow days, if for no other reason than to embellish my reputation as a dependable and reliable salesperson who would do anything for his customers. I also made sure to show up at a customer’s door when we messed something up, the boards were late or scrapped, and the customer was furious. I knew it would make them feel better if they had a person to yell at and a fresh butt to kick! Interestingly, these tactics worked every time. For instance, it is much easier to be furious at a hypothetical company figure than a real person standing in front of you.

The truth is that great customer service is unforgettable; the stories are eminently repeatable. And we repeat them to the point that they become legendary. I don’t think I was being disingenuous by visiting a customer in a snowstorm; I thought I was being memorable. I wanted to show by my actions, in addition to my words, that they could truly count on me. There was no better proof of that than showing up when the roads were closed by the Massachusetts State Police (yes, that really happened).

What are your stories? What do you have in your treasure chest of company lore? Dig deep, and I’m sure you’ll find some; every organization has them, and it’s important that they are told over and over again until they become part of the company’s history and training program. Success stories, more than anything else, get the point across about what kind of company you are for both long-time employees and new hires; they also play a large part in forming your brand. Your company’s success stories represent what you are about to the general market and the companies with which you’re doing business.

A little secret about great customer service stories is that sharing them encourages everyone in your company to come up with one of their own. Your team members will want to be a star of their own success story, which is exactly what you want them to do; you want them coming up with ways to deliver great customer service, so they can talk about it. The only thing you have to do is let them. Give them permission to deliver great customer service, and you will be rewarded by being a great company with your own success stories.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.