Someone asked me a great question the other day. What is the most ridiculous thing you have ever done for a customer? I told her the following story.
Imagine this. It is the day after Christmas (Boxing Day). You have a client deadline due at the end of month. It can’t get done the normal way. Just can’t. What do you do?
This once happened to me in my Mystery Shopping Business. We had three Mystery Shops left to be done for a client with 900 stores.
The stores were 2,446 kilometres (1,519) miles away. I now believe that what I did on that day, helped changed my business.
I rented a car, and drove for two days to get the Mystery Shops completed – then flew home.
This post is not to boast, but something interesting happened after I completed the mission.
Did the customer notice? No.
Did we tell the customer the lengths we went to, in order to complete the assignments? No.
So why do it?
At the time I did it simply because it ‘had to be done’. But I think there is a better reason.
I didn’t realise at the time, but I was building culture.
Service is about meeting the Customers Expectations, very single time. My staff in the office now know how important it is to do this.
They know it just ‘has to be done’. They no there are no excuses.
If you are in a customer service leadership position (and that’s everyone), be occasionally extreme.
Don’t be extreme in exceeding expectations. Be extreme in meeting them. Culture will follow.
Have you had a similar experience?
(From my 2011 archives)
