Be Outstanding: Own the Customer Moment

There’s saying it and there’s doing it.

And Nick did it, so Nick stands out, which makes Nick outstanding. 👏🏻

Phone/utility companies don’t have the best reputations when it comes to customer service. And, rightfully, the bad rap they get is based on how they have treated consumers. In other words, they’ve earned it. We reap what we sow, right?

Yet, sometimes, like it’s said in the Miller favorite 1992 movie Aladdin, you find a genuine “diamond in the rough.”

When I signed onto a chat box with CenturyLink to explore whether to keep or cancel the landline we’ve had at QBQ, Inc. since 1998, I was fortunate to stumble across a diamond. His name is Nick, and Nick stands out to me.

Here’s how it went …

Nick M: Thank you for being a valued customer. I am here to help, I am going to do everything I can to own your experience today! To get started, let’s pull up your account so that we can review your current plan. 🙂

Apprehensively, my first thought was simply, Okay, good start—even if it was a template chat box opening.

But I did wonder if he (or someone at CenturyLink) had read Outstanding!  In that book, we write, “Never forget who pays the bills—customers.” 🙌🏻

Sadly, many organizations do forget. Does yours?

Anyway, from there the conversation went … uphill. It only got better. Nick asked good questions, displayed a sense of humor, gave me all the info I needed to make some decisions, and closed with this, right after I had typed something humorous, of course:

Nick M: Ha! That’s awesome! Okay, you’re all set. I am making the changes to your account that we’ve discussed. Also, I mentioned that I would own your experience and help find the best resolution. I appreciate the opportunity to help you. At the end of our chat, you will be asked to provide feedback about your experience. Is there anything else I can do to earn a perfect score from you?

I have absolutely no problem with him asking that last question, since, as a sales guy for 40 years, I, too, was trained to “ask for the order.”

So, this outstanding Nick fella scored 10 out of 10 on the CenturyLink survey. In the comments section, I wrote, “Nick was outstanding. Please give him a raise!” 😆

In the end, I felt heard, valued, and cared for—my dilemma was solved. What amazes me is how easily this was done. Customers want problems resolved, and that happens when individuals, whether named Nick or not, take ownership of the moment and the experience.

Is this how you work? Are you outstanding? If you lead a team, do you have Nicks working with you? If so, give them a raise today!