About 6 weeks ago I had a nice lady come into the store wanting to buy a laptop. She asked lots of questions- intelligent, reasonable questions- and I helped her out and made sure she got the right laptop and software for her, not just the most expensive one or the one we needed to get rid of. Afterwards, I helped her carry the laptop out to her car, and gave her some websites to get some useful utilites (like FireFox and WinAmp), and bade her a good day.
Anyway, she came in today with a “thank you” greeting card with a message of thanks in it because she was so happy with the service and how I’d helped her get the right laptop!
I know, it’s silly, but it really made my day- I get so many people yelling and complaining and abusing me, but having just one person who truly appreciated the help I gave them means a lot to me.
I try to thank people who have helped me. A couple of weeks ago I was getting a plant for a friend in the hospital and couldn’t decide between a cute watermelon-slice pot with ivy and something else. I asked the lady behind the counter which she would prefer if she were in the hospital and she selected the ivy. My hospitalized friend said she got more compliments on that than any of her other flowers (and some of those were very expensive!). So yesterday when I was back in the store I saw the lady again and thanked her for helping me make the right choice. She just beamed and said it was so nice to hear that she had done something right; usually they only hear about it when they’ve done something wrong!
About a year ago, when I moved into this flat, I had carpets laid throughout. It’s a big flat, and it cost about £1800 to have the work done.
The two fitters did a wondeful job. I’m not a fitter myself, but I can tell when carpets have been put down properly. I was there while they were working, and they were working hard to get all the carpets down in their allotted time. Also they were cheerful and asked my opinion of various options, rather than just going with the easiest. In the end, the job took longer than they’d expected (lots of stairs), and they worked well into the evening rather than returning the next time they could, even though they weren’t paid overtime.
In the end, I was thoroughly happy with their work, so I rang the carpet shop and asked to speak to the manager. When I told him how delighted I was, he was genuinely taken aback, and said that this was the first time in mumble years in the job that anyone had bothered to give positive feedback about a fitting job. He promised to pass on my thanks to the fitters, and hinted strongly that this would look good for them when it came time to review their wages.
We can make a positive difference if we take the little time and effort needed to thank people for good service.
ETA: Oh, and it always helps if you make plenty of tea (or coffee, or other refreshments) for the workers. Apparently, most people don’t think of that.
For about a year and a half, I had a full time gig at a bookstore. It always amazed me how often really angry, grouchy people came to the store (it’s a book, dammit! What is there to get upset about?). Still, I enjoyed the customer service aspects of it.
Once, I spent some time helping an older couple find a map of the small, non-descript island they were going to stop at during their trip to Hawaii. We made pleasant small talk while I located the map, and I made a point of wishing them well. After that, though, I quickly forgot the experience.
A few months later, however, I got a postcard at work from that couple, who were on the vacation they had told me about! Imagine that: you are on vacation, and you think to send a postcard to the guy who gave you some help at a bookstore in preparation for your trip! It remains the nicest compliment I’ve ever received in my career.
I really don’t like buying clothes, especially when I’ve been stupid and left it to the last minute. Years ago, while in Michigan, I had to buy a dress to wear to my sister’s wedding. I was leaving for home the next day, and would take it with me.
So Sunday after church I went to the mall, so that I’d already be in dress shoes and wearing stockings. I dreaded the experience.
I walked into J.C. Penney’s first, because it was the first department store inside the mall. A clerk asked if I needed assistance, and so I told her my requirements and budget. She helped me pick out several dresses and got me to the changing rooms. I came out wearing the dress I liked best, and we could see my slip wasn’t long enough, so she trotted over to the underwear section and got another for me.
I was in and out in barely half an hour, and got a dress I really liked, not one I settled for. I made sure I looked at the clerk’s nametag and sent a nice letter to the store manager.
When I receive exceptional customer service, I try to make it a point to speak to the person’s supervisor to give them a compliment where it can do the most good. As I learned from a friend who was working in airline reservations at the time, a compliment can often earn an employee something nice – in my friend’s case, a free flight somewhere. My husband for years lived and died by customer reviews, so getting the good ones can really make a difference for someone; it’s worth the extra time just to try to brighten someone’s day and please their supervisor at the same time.
