Have you noticed lately that you praise people for doing their jobs? I have. I don’t mean going above and beyond, but actually doing their jobs. We used to heap praise upon those who rose above the everyday and demonstrated excellent work. But these days, it’s become difficult to find people who go that extra mile.
It is important as a customer obviously, but it is also important for businesses to realize giving good customer service is not enough in this competitive age. You must give customers a great experience, to rise above the rest.
I’ll give you an example. When my parents lived in Henderson, NV, and my mother was very ill, I was concerned about my Dad. My Mom couldn’t eat. She was on a feeding tube and couldn’t do things such as cooking the way she always used to do. I would make meals and freeze them for my Dad when I was there, but he made do the rest of the time. He took care of my Mom with the help of hired care givers.
On a particularly rough day, I had the thought to order from a restaurant and have a meal delivered to my Dad. Ventano’s Italian Restaurant is considered one of the best restaurants in Henderson. I looked at their website and it said, “No deliveries”. Not discouraged by that, I called anyway. The man who picked up the phone told me to hold on for his manager. When he came on the phone, I told him my situation and asked if there was any way they could deliver a nice meal to my Dad. He asked, what do you want to order? I picked an entrée and asked him how much would he charge for the meal plus delivery. He said there would be no charge! I was hit with such a wave of surprise and gratitude. He said they would be happy to deliver a meal to my Dad.
My Mom and Dad called me and told me how Dad answered a knock at the door. There was a gentleman delivering the wonderful meal. My Dad told the gentleman to please tell the owner thank you. The gentleman said, I am the owner. My Dad was blown away. We all got very emotional. My Mom said you just don’t meet people like this anymore.
I had been talking to the owner and he never let on. He delivered the meal himself! I called him back and he talked a while about moving to this country. He is from France and his name is Arnauld. He said he felt more American that some Americans. He loved this country and the flag. He believed in doing good, giving back, and making a difference. I have tears in my eyes today when I remember this story. He simply asked if I might give him a good review. You might imagine how good my review was.
We should always strive to do our best, do good, and help people. But, running your business in this way, can only help to achieve a level of success that makes a difference for you as well.