A lot of stories about great customer service focus on 
grand gestures, but it is the sustained, day to day delivery of good deeds that make a company’s service reputation excellent. We asked people this week to share an excellent experience they have had or heard about and these are the simple but lovely responses we got.
A Gift
Julianna had been shopping for some clothes for herself and her two daughters. She came across a pair of pants that she thought would be perfect for all three of them, but could only find sizes for herself and her youngest child. She wished that another pair were available, but decided to order what she could find after speaking with the company. When her order arrived, she was surprised and delighted to find three pairs of matching pants. “Inside the box there was a note. The lady that had helped me reached out to other stores that carry the same brand to track down the 3rd pair for me. She then got them and included them with my order, for free! It was so thoughtful. She even included a note saying that she didn’t want my other daughter to feel left out, so she made sure to find these for me. And this was my first order, ever, from this company, but I feel like I did business with a friend. Stellar service. I’ll be back again and again.”
Kindness is Free
Over in the UK, a supermarket employee has been garnering a lot of attention. After giving a co-worker a friendly hug and offering to help with the workload, an elderly lady made a joke about it. Rather than simply laughing along with her and going about his tasks, he offered a hug to her as well. As it turned out, the woman had lost her husband four years earlier and remarked that she no longer had someone to hug her nowadays and was very touched by his kindness. This supermarket manager, by treating everyone in his path with the same level of compassion and respect, was able to transform both his customer’s store experience and her day with one simple act.
Recognition Feels Good
Robert’s wife, Lisa, earned a promotion at work and he wanted to surprise her with a congratulatory gift. He jumped online to find a sweater he’d seen her looking at before, then called in to get sizing advice and place the order. While chatting with the customer service representative, he mentioned his wife’s work success being the reason for the order. When the box arrived, both he and his wife were in for a surprise. “Inside the box, there was a little card on top of the tissue paper. The lady from customer service had written a note to my wife, congratulating her on her promotion, explaining that I had wanted to find exactly the right gift for her, and relaying that I was extremely proud of her hard work. It was a really nice touch and I think knowing that I was singing her praises to someone else really made her feel special. It may have only taken a minute to do, but that lady made a sweater a much bigger gift.”
Allowing ourselves to be inspired by our customers and their situations gives us new opportunities to touch their lives in simple, frequent ways. What have you done as a professional or had happen to you as a customer that made a simple experience feel extra special?