What I’m about to share with you is a true story, though the names and locations have been changed to protect the innocent… and because I’ve forgotten them.
Once upon a time, there was a young, over-worked and stressed-out business man named… Jim. Or at least that’s what we’ll call him for the sake of telling this story. Jim was having a small, informal party at his apartment in Cold Spring, New York, so he went to a small, local grocery store to buy supplies. He stocked up on chips, dips and the other food items he needed to make some low-key but tasty hors d’oeuvres. He bought bottled water, beer and different kinds of soda, including a 12-pack of root beer.
But once Jim got home with his provisions, he realized he’d left the12-pack of root beer at the store. Did he leave it at the checkout counter? Or maybe it was on the lower rack of his shopping cart? He wasn’t sure, so he called the store and told them that he’d left the 12-pack somewhere.
“No problem, sir, we have it right here,” said Whoever answered the phone at the store. “Would you like us to deliver it for you?” Deliver it? This store doesn’t deliver, thought Jim. “Well, yeah, sure. That would be great! Thank you so much!” Jim answered. He gave his address and then got busy preparing for his party.
About 15 minutes later, there was a knock on his door. When Jim opened the door, there was a young kid, about 17 or 18 years of age, with Jim’s 12-pack of root beer and a plastic shopping bag. “Hi, I’m here to deliver your root beer,” said the kid as he handed Jim the 12-pack. “Oh, and the store manager thought you might want this as well.” The kid held out the plastic shopping bag. Jim took the bag, looked inside and saw a gallon of vanilla ice cream. Confused, he glanced up at the kid with a questioning look on his face. “Just in case you want to make root beer floats,” said the kid as he turned, trotted down the front stairs, waved goodbye and left.
Yep. True story.
So, where do you think Jim is going to shop from now on? Where do you think he’ll tell his friends to shop as well?
What I love about this story is that it redefines customer service. When Jim called about his lost root beer, not only was he offered a solution to his problem, he got free delivery and a gallon of free ice cream! Now, that’s customer service… a la mode. And a great example of how to over-deliver to your own clients and customers.
Someone, probably the store manager, used his customer’s problem as a way to get creative and give him more than he’d ever expect. He found a way to be one step ahead of Jim, to think of what Jim might want or need before Jim could think of it. He did what no other store manager would do; he over-delivered. He demonstrated extra care, thought and creativity in order to delight his customer.
So…. what’s your ice cream?
How can you over-deliver to your clients? What can you do for them that no one else is willing to do? How can you show your clients that you value them, that you are thinking about them… even thinking ahead of them?
When we think of customer service, we often think of that department in any business that handles problems, questions, complaints, returns and other manifestations of dissatisfaction. When something is wrong, we call customer service. When our paper doesn’t get delivered. When our cable goes out.
BUT… what if we shift that paradigm and make customer service all about being in front of our clients needs and wants? What if we redefine customer service as over-delivering on thoughtful, creative service and pleasant surprises that improve, enhance or expand our clients’ experience… without them ever requesting such?
This is Customer Service a la Mode!
Many years ago, I was shopping for a digital recorder to use for recording rehearsals and live music performances, among other things. I went to the Sweetwater website because a friend of mine had told me that it was a great place to buy any kind of musical or audio equipment. I found a digital recorder that looked pretty good, and I bought it. Online.
10 minutes later, I got a phone call from a Sweetwater sales rep. At first I thought maybe there was something wrong with my order, that they were out of stock or something. But no. This sales rep, whose name was Forrest Powell, was just calling to see if there was anything else he could help me with and if I was sure I’d found what I was looking for.
I told Forrest what I was looking for and why I’d bought what I had. Forrest asked me some questions, like, how would I be using this recorder? What did I need it to do? After I told him about how I needed it for both live music, speaking engagements, rehearsals and interviews, Forrest suggested a different recorder that would better suit my needs.
At first I thought, “Right. He’s trying to upsell me to a fancier machine.” But the recorder he suggested was almost exactly the same price. Then, Forrest told me his own experience using this recorder himself to record live music and the various features it offered.
So, right then and there, I changed my order. Rather, Forrest changed it for me. I ended up buying a Zoom H4 Handy Recorder, and I’ve been extraordinarily happy with it. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow this recorder which means Forrest helped me make a purchase to last a lifetime.
Because of this one phone call and Forrest’s thoughtfulness, friendliness and desire to make sure I got a the right product for me, I always, always buy any musical or audio equipment from Sweetwater and I always do so through Forrest Powell.
(By the way, when a package is delivered from Sweetwater, there’s always candy in the box. Nothing fancy. Just an unexpected sweet surprise.)
So, again… what is your ice cream?
How can you stand out and be “the one” to your clients? What can you do or give that shows you are giving them more thought and consideration than they are to themselves? What can you do that no one else is willing to do… or has thought to do?
- Can you introduce them to someone who may prove to be helpful to their business or their life in general?
- Can you surprise them with a bonus gift that may be useful, inspiring or amusing to them? Or just show that you’re thinking of them?
- Can you call instead of email when someone contacts you through your website or places an order? OR cancels an order! (This happened to me. I canceled an order for a teleclass. The man giving the class called me immediately. NOT to change my mind but to simply tell me that my credit card had been reimbursed and I should see that within 2-3 days. Because he picked up the phone and called as a courtesy, I changed my mind again and decided to take his teleseminar. I figured, this guy has something to teach me.)
Think about your clients and potential clients. Think ahead of them, meaning, think about what they might need or want before they even know they need or want it! And, as one of my favorite marketing mentors, Fabienne Fredrickson, always says, under promise and over deliver. Give more than you promised. Give more than they’re expecting. And you will not only have a client for life, you will have a raving fan, a member of your unpaid sales force who wants to tell the world why they should work with you, buy from you and do business with you.
Have you ever had an experience of customer service “a la mode” that made you a loyal customer and fan for life? If so, share it here by writing a comment below this blog post. I’d love to hear about them. And learn from them.