Serving customers, building loyalty, and being outstanding are not that complicated.
Rich, an Outstanding! and QBQ! reader, tells us all about it. Enjoy the simplicity—and the power—of Rich’s story:
When I noticed liquid under my car on Saturday, I determined the radiator was bad. As a hobbyist mechanic, I’ve replaced several radiators, so after browsing PerformanceRadiator.com, I headed to their Colorado Springs store.
Somehow, I’d gotten the idea they were open till 4:30pm.
Arriving at the small building at 2:20pm, I saw a “Closed” sign as well as hours stating their day ended at 2:00pm. I walked up to the window and looked inside, hoping the last employee hadn’t left yet. No luck. The door was locked, the lights were out. Back in my car, I began to surf for another radiator place.
Right then, a car pulled up and the driver told me the shop was closed. I said, “Yeah, I just figured that out. So I’m looking for another store.” He responded, “Well, if you need it today, I can open back up.”
Wha … ???
This employee had been getting in his car across the street when he saw me try the locked door.
He could’ve looked the other way! This guy should’ve been home enjoying his Saturday afternoon, but instead came back to help a customer who arrived late.
While we waited for the store computer to boot back up, I told him I thought their website said stores close at 4:30. He agreed, but said some locations close at 2pm.
He then apologized for the confusion—as if he was responsible for the corporate website.
When he located the radiator I needed, we noticed it had some minor “fin” damage. He offered, “I’ll knock 20 bucks off; will that be alright?”
Of course!
As I left, I handed him a $10 bill. He protested, “You don’t have to tip me!”
I replied: “You didn’t have to come back and unlock the door, either.”
This fella’s “above and beyond” attitude earned my continued business—and willingness to recommend them. So … if you need a vehicle radiator, fan, or mirror, head to Performance Radiator today!
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Thank you, Rich, for this outstanding story about being … outstanding! 😉 Two questions for all of us: If you’re in a customer service business—and who isn’t?—would you have performed as this store employee did? Would your staff? Share your thoughts!
If you have an outstanding customer service story to share, please email it to John@QBQ.com. We’d love to see it.
