When we remember to connect with our customers on a human level and seek to assist them as though they were a friend or neighbor, we are driven to do extraordinary things for them. When our customers receive extraordinary care and help, our interactions with them move beyond mere transactions for goods or services and instead become a relationship. By showing ourselves to be caring and helpful to our customers when their problems are minor or major, we become an indispensable part of their lives and can feel good about doing so.
The Story
In Washington, friends and family are still mourning the loss of two University High School sophomores, McKenzie Mott and Josie Freier, after both girls tragically died in a car crash in the fall of 2013.
McKenzie Mott was a star soccer player, and had a habit of getting into her mother’s car after games, taking off her cleats, and stretching her legs out onto the dashboard, her feet resting against the windshield. After the tragic loss of her daughter, McKenzie’s mother could not clean those ever-present smudgy marks left on her windshield by McKenzie’s feet. Even after the windshield became cracked and needed replacement, Mrs. Mott could not part with this memory of her daughter.
Jeremy Greene, from the local business, Glass Doctor, heard about Mrs. Mott’s dilemma and took it upon himself to help his customer preserve this final memory of her daughter. With painstaking care, Mr. Greene removed the windshield and excised the portion with McKenzie’s marks, forever preserving them while also allowing the car to be fitted with a new windshield. Mr. Greene also decided to do all of this for free.
When faced with a customer in unique circumstances, Mr. Greene made the decision to truly hear her story and understand her needs. He then developed a plan to accomplish her goals and delivered it with a level of class that surely exceeded Mrs. Mott’s expectation for what was supposed to be a simple trip to a glass repairman.
The Takeaway
Most customer interactions will not have the gravity of the one Mr. Greene was faced with, but it is important for us to keep in mind that every call, every case is something that does affect a customer’s life in some way. The more we perfect our level of service on the seemingly inconsequential cases, the more prepared we will be to truly help the customers who need an extraordinary kindness.