The holiday season tends to put customer service on the forefront — and not always in a positive light. But these stories of great customer service will warm your heart.
Here’s how customer service professionals went beyond the call of duty to create memorable experiences:
1. Literally heart warming
When a customer called Cadet, a heater manufacturer in Vancouver, WA, asking about a replacement part, he told the customer service pro Thomas his story: He used a Cadet portable heater in his pet room, where the family’s “old dog” stayed most of the time. The heater stopped working and a good friend who was handy determined there was no quick fix. They called around to get some parts, but no local suppliers readily had what they needed to fix the heater and keep the dog comfortable.
Thomas, a dog lover, recognized that the customer lived locally and jumped into action. Although Cadet doesn’t sell directly to consumers, he told the customer to come to the plant and he’d have the parts they needed ready. Thomas pulled the parts and greeted the customer at the door with some tips on how to repair the heater.
2. Going one step further
Christian McMenemy loved the clock radio at Gaylord Opryland Hotel. She used it to play soothing music. And that helped her sleep better than she did when she wasn’t visiting the hotel in Nashville (which she frequented).
So she looked for the clock, but couldn’t find the exact one — with those sleep inducing sounds. So she turned to Gaylord Opryland’s Twitter account for better direction. She asked where she might buy the clock radio. They exchanged a few tweets, but it wasn’t until McMenemy returned to her room at Gaylord Opryland that evening that she found the issue had been resolved.
Staffers placed a second radio clock next to the one in the room with a handwritten note: “Christina, thank you for following us on Twitter. We hope you enjoy these spa sounds at home. If you need anything, please let us know. Sincerely, Elizabeth, Nick & Tory.”
3. Finding it’s never too late
When Dave Bell was 14-years-old he ate a sub-par salted nut roll from Pearson’s Candy Company. It was a huge disappointment because it was his favorite candy. So Bell sent Pearson a letter, complaining about the candy bar and hoping he’d get a new one. All he got was an apology letter in response.
Fast forward 61 years: Bell came across that apology letter and responded via email, still complaining about that candy bar. This time, Pearson apologized — and sent him a package of several candy bars, including a five-pound version of his beloved salted nut roll. The CEO later said the complaint was legit and they wanted to make good on what they missed 61 years ago.
4. Doing what you can
A customer showed up at a bank that had just closed. He needed cash, and at the time, didn’t have access to an ATM card. His mother had just died, and had to jet out of town to make arrangements and attend her funeral.
This was 20 years ago, but what happened next has a meaningful impact today.
The branch manager let the man into the bank, where the vault was already locked, then she walked outside. While the customer sat inside, the branch manager withdrew from the ATM $400 … from her own account. Then she gave it to him, saying she knew it wasn’t as much as he needed but she hoped it would help.
It did.
When the customer came back to town, he repaid the manager the money, gave her a bouquet of flowers and a gift certificate for dinner. Then he sent a letter to the bank’s CEO, explaining what happened.
Shortly after, the manager was promoted, and she claimed it was because of his letter – although the customer knows it was because she knew how to deliver great experiences when they’re needed.
