No tricks. All treats today on Customer Experience Insight, thanks to three real-life customer service tales that are so good they’re scary.
They’re tales of service professionals who went above and beyond the call of duty — and were even heroic — to keep their customers happy, safe and alive.
Listen closely, act fast
Considering Natalie Brown, a service rep for the Kentucky Department of Revenue, dealt with taxes, she often heard from customers who were upset. But one day, a customer sounded a little more than upset.
Earl Phillips, a 60-year-old man who was hundreds of miles away from Brown, sounded breathless when the two of them connected on the phone. The more he talked, asking for some information, his breathing grew heavier and his speech became labored.
Brown asked if he needed medical help, he denied it and her concern grew. So she asked if he’d verify his address, which she had on his paperwork. Then she grabbed another phone and called 911.
Emergency responders arrived to find Phillips suffering from a heart attack. He made it to the hospital and had heart surgery.
Brown called a few times over the next few days to see how he was, but didn’t hear anything until he called to thank her for saving his life.
The strange thing: Brown had mistakenly noted to call Mr. Phillips one day later than she was supposed to do it. Her day-late call saved his life.
Push aside policy
Like most customer service professionals, Sherri Murphy knew the policies and procedures she had to follow. More importantly, she recognized — and her boss agreed — that sometimes it’s important to bend a little in very special circumstances.
Murphy, a customer service rep at VSP Vision Care, took a call from a customer who made a request that fell outside of the policies under which Murphy worked. The woman wouldn’t be eligible for an insurance-covered eye exam for some time. But, she explained, her vision was failing because she was being treated for a brain tumor. She could barely read a book to her children any more.
Murphy could’ve denied the request, but she did the opposite, pushing paperwork and personally seeking approvals. She didn’t stop until the request was granted, because she knew her boss would back her up on it, too.
The extra effort helped the customer get her exam and the care she needed.
Provide a sweet ending
When Jerry Borne, a technician at Safelite AutoGlass in New Orleans, arrived at a school to repair a customer’s windshield, he had no idea he’d be teaching the best lesson of the day.
The customer was a teacher and her students were talking about honesty after one student had taken and eaten another’s cake. Surprisingly, the teacher asked Borne what would happen if he was dishonest in his work. He talked about the importance of doing the right thing in school and everyday life, and reminded the students to think of other people’s feelings.
Borne finished his work and left. Later that day, he visited again, that time with a cake for the students to share because he didn’t want any kid to miss out on the fun!
