The 44-cent solution
Tom Peters calls it āthe pursuit of wow.ā Seth Godin calls it being āremarkable.ā None of us do it enough ā which is why itās so spectacular when we see it in action.
Case in point: Sunday night at the J.W. Marriott in Phoenix. Iāve got a letter to mail, but no stamps. So I go to the front desk and the following conversation ensues:
***
ME: Is there a place in the hotel where I can buy a stamp?
MARRIOTT PERSON (pointing to my letter): Iāll take it for you.
ME (handing her the letter and taking out my wallet): Great. I just need one stamp.
MARRIOTT PERSON: No, Iāll just stamp it for you and stick it in the mail. No charge. Not a problem.
ME: Really?
MARRIOTT PERSON: Yes.
ME: Wow. Thatās remarkable. (So much so that I spaced and didnāt get the employeeās name.)
***
Now, maybe this happens all the time to you, but itās never happened to me. And in the grand scheme ā of customer service or of life in general ā this isnāt a big deal. Itās not going to bulletproof the Marriott brand, salvage the travel economy, or feed a hungry child.
And yet ā and yet ā Iāve told several people about this experience and Iāve felt compelled to tell a few thousand more with this post. Which got me thinking: Why arenāt I doing more stuff like this? What insanely inexpensive steps am I not taking to delight the readers, customers, and clients on whom I depend?
Doing great work is tough, of course. But sometimes itās possible to do really good work ā remarkable things that make us saw āWowā ā for just 44 cents.
Actually the funny part is that doing great work like this is simple and very inexpensive. It just takes the right focus and follow-through from executive leadership. Great customer service just takes making it a part of the culture from the top and expecting it from every employee all the time. If everyone lives and breathes this attitude towards the customers, it just takes care of itself. But it has to come from the top and literally always be in the air. Done right, it is great for employees, too. They get the smile and the thank you from the customer ā what everyone wants.
I work at a gas station and our really old air machine still charges 75 cents. The one evening, I was working alone and a boy came in with a quarter, two dimes, and a nickel. The air machine only takes quarters, so I opened my register to exchange his two dimes and a nickel for a quarter, but he was still a quarter short. Rather than taking a quarter from my drawer and making my money count off for the day, I gave him one of the quarters that I happened to have in my pocket (even though I rarely have change on me). His sincere gratitude was pricelessā¦ worth much more than a quarter.
Empathy is one of my core values and I try to seize the opportunity to express it when such an opportunity presents itself to me. In my experience, the thing I end up giving the most is my time. It is so worth it.
I work in health care and have bought lots of coffee, given stamps, added the missing dime (or more) for the person ahead of me in the cafeteria line who was short money, and numerous little things that people are very grateful for. I donāt know, but I think itās just being human. I live in the Maritimes in Canada and the folks here are known for being friendly and trustworthy. If you lose something here (and I mean lose, not have it stolen) the chance of recovering it intact are pretty high.
I was shopping in Publixs a while ago and I bought something that was two for one. I got to the register and cashier said you know with a coupon you can get four of those for the price of one. I said great and the packer rushed off and got me two more.
Then another time my daughter was visiting with a baby and wanted frozen organic food. I asked the assistant manager and she said they did not stock it but would get it in for me. She got them in for me and of course I did not buy the whole carton but that was no problem.
I think those two things are remarkable.
Now if I could only learn to do remarkable things impromptu.
Great post. Its always the little things that leave lasting impressions. This is something Iām going to try and be more aware of in the future.
I was having a most excellent day travelling (that in itself can feel like a feat). As I approached the security area one of the guards tapped me on the shoulder and led me through a different area so that I could get through. No reason. I wasnāt even in a hurry for once. I was stumped and ask him why and he just said āyou look like a nice person and I felt like itā. It was American Airlines but I donāt remember his name. That was several months ago and I think about it all the time. The little things can make a huge impact! And Iām a tad bit convinced that it was also becuase I was in a good space ā working āwithā instead of āagainstā people.
I, also, have been both the recipient and presenter of Wow factor. More interesting to me is the release of dopamine in the brain that happens when YOU make someone else go Wow!
Did you get out of bed on the wrong side? Try starting your day by paying for the next customers coffeeā¦and see what happens to your mood!
Dan ā A few weeks ago (after reading Drive & Linchpin)
I was on my way back to my office from the public restroom. I overheard a woman speaking to the building receptionist, saying she really needed a coke and the vending machine was out, she had a migrane and needed the caffine.
I walked by, proceeded to my office and went right into the pantry stocked with ice cold coke and ran back out into the public lobby hoping to catch her. I said āplease forgive me for eaves droppingā and handed her the coke. What a great feeling as she smiled and said thank you so much. And yes I refused the dollar bill she tried to give me.
This Iāll never forget: US Airways flight #469 from Las Vegas to SFO. The flight to San Jose was cancelled ā parts all over the tarmac ā an hour late already ā the pilot was flying in with the necessary part ā disaster. Airline clerks were happy to transfer me to the SFO flight sans checked bag. Jim Mandoki, at the new gate, when I told him my plight, went, himself to the tarmac to the baggage truck to retrieve my bag with the āgirlyā tag ā big smile on his face ā bigger one on mine.
Thank you thank you for posting this story Daniel. I consult on customer service to large corporations for 20 years and here is one terrific example of branding through your customers! 44 Cents expended with an ROI of limitless value.
I will RT this on Twitter. A small story that packs a big lesson!
Hereās a companion post on the personal connection that brings great return:
āāāāāāāāā
http://katenasser.com/customer-service-loyalty-the-connection/
Best wishes,
Kate Nasser
WOW! First for the wonderful experience that I will relate to others so the ROI rolls on, Second, for all the āpay it forwardā examples provided by the follow-on bloggers and Third ā for reminding us all, that it is the little things that āCOUNTā ā and truly how priceless gratitude and reaching out to connect to another person can be (great note Sophie)!
One of the good parts is that the clerk had the leeway to make you, the customer, happy. No checking with the manager, just āIāll take care of it.ā
Isnāt it fun to hear good customer service stories? Everyone is ready with a bad customer service story, but itās much more satisfying to hear about good customer service. At one of my companyās recent quarterly meetings, we went around the room and had everyone tell about a time they got excellent customer service. We came out of that meeting with a lot a great ideas ā we let the good experiences do the training. I found it to be very inspiring.
Iām with those who frequently try to be the āwowā factor for others. It can really make your day. Of course, small fees for substandard services has the opposite effect and makes the memory stick in your brain. I was recently at the Ritz Carlton in Ft. Lauderdale and waited patiently for a Fed Ex package to arrive from an associate. Finally, after calling the office to get tracking info I found the package had been delivered hours earlier despite my earlier request for notification. I went down to the front desk where it was just sitting there. They charged me $5 to pick it up.
Sophie ā I love what you wrote:
āDid you get out of bed on the wrong side? Try starting your day by paying for the next customers coffeeā¦and see what happens to your mood!ā
I will remember that one!
As one of your readers, I am always happy that you think of ways for you to delight me. So far, you are doing an excellent job.
Your post reminded me of an article by Mr. Zig Ziglar titled āLittle Things Matterā. The following is taken from that great article:
āMost of us need a little hope and encouragement every day, and I believe a āNational Kindness Dayā to encourage everyone to speak with kindness to those we meet would help. Doing that for just one day could jump-start us to make it a part of our lives, which could encourage others to do the same thing. Give it a try. Youāll be delighted with the results!ā
Take care,
Fahad
This one didnāt cost anything but really made me say WOW: The custodian at my school cleans the ladiesā room each afternoon and when he is done, he advances the paper towel roll just enough to leave the first person with a towelā¦ready and waiting. It made me feel like I was in a luxury hotel to have that towel waiting for me. So when I got done, I advanced the roll as well. Letās see if it catches on!!!
By the way, when I asked if he had been doing it, he said yes and when I thanked him, he said he didnāt think anyone noticed. He smiled from ear to ear.
What I am loving in this moment is that we are compelled to share other little efforts that made our days. Proves to me that there are people who are conscious out there. Those who are doing the DO and those feeling grateful. This makes me HAPPY.
One of my favorite quotes that I use when speaking about brands is by Michael Eisner, āA brand is a living entity ā and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gesturesā
Expresses exactly what we are discussing.
So today I shall keep my eyes open to make small gestures that matterā¦thanks Daniel for helping to make us more conscious.
The other day I was at a new restaurant which stated on the menu, āTake out orders, add $0.50.ā
I laughed out loud and decided never to go there again.
From my perspective, as a business owner (bistro in Manhattan), I have to chuckle at all of this. Anyone one of my employees would have gladly done the equivalent to what this hotel employee did for you ā we make calls for customers, we leave a bustling restaurant and go out on the street to hail taxis for the elderly or disabled. We custom-prepare almost any dish, comp desserts and coffee or even entire dinners for even the slightest of errors on our part, and basically cater to every whim and request of our customers. Thatās good business, I agree. The difference is, unlike you, many of the customers we have, EXPECT IT. Indeed, they expect more. And yet, for the most part, they do not express gratitude. I could recount here so many insane stories of customers who felt entitled to the most ridiculous, outrageous requests only to rage on us when we turned them down. (Perhaps this is particular to the upper east side of NYC; it is common occurrence. I donāt know.) Either way,āgood customer serviceā should also refer to being a āgood customer.ā That would make for better service all around for all of us.
I appreciate the good business side of this act and those recounted by others in the comments, and Iām uplifted by the reminder that people do indeed do nice things for others in the course of work. Mostly though, I resonate with Shirleyās comment ā āitās just being humanā. Hereās to that.
All of the crappy things people say about TSA were obviated in my mind by the LAX screener who, when a bottle of wine was discovered on my carry-on (what was I thinking???), personally escorted me to an elevator and told the elevator operator to wait for me until I returned from the airline ticket counter, where I was to check my bag, and then bring me back to the front of the queue.
The thing is this: I would have had plenty of time to catch my plane had he not gone out of his way. But he decided to save me 30 minutes of time anyway. He made a judgment call that I had done something anyone, maybe even he, could have done, and that the nice thing to do was to not make me suffer the consequences.
And to this day, that remains my dominant memory of the TSA.
Small IS beautifulā¦ Details of a thoughtful gesture, or a smart gesture (as in business) get our surprised attention. Merci de lāavoir partage, Monsieur Pink!
Did you know?
Disney employees (EVERY one of them) are empowered to give you anything, on the spot, for whatever your inconvenience is. Of course if they give away a hotel night because you stubbed your toe, theyāll likely not get far. However, any reasonable compensation is a possibility. I was the lowest rung on the totem pole as a āCollege Programā kid or a āCPā and I was even shown where the vouchers were so I could fill one out if I ever needed to.
They pay for crap, but their customer service is second to none, consistently.
I think thatās the āsignificanceā that Disney really brings to the table and why I keep going back.
Great story. It goes to show, for one thing, that āstandardizationā (of which Marriott is a big proponent of) doesnāt mean shut your brain off. Iām sure they just have a very general policy of doing what it takes to make guest happy ā and being a JW, is it a different policy than a Courtyard?
After reading your post, I was walking home and realized that my neighborhood cleaners in Boston exhibits a similar behavior ā with just smiles (they are still free, right?). It sounds so cheesy, but every time Iām in the cleaners (2x a week?), the owner or his wife, they smile and make you feel so welcome to be there, like youāre the only customer of the day, which clearly isnāt true.
After 11 months in Boston, I noticed just about two weeks ago that if Iām walking home at the end of the day and the guy isnāt busy, he sees you walk byā¦ I noticed him and he just grinned and waved, as if seeing an old friend for the first time in a decade.
So now I noticed he does this every time. I actually. I now make a point of looking for him and we exchange waves and smiles. Again, cheesy, but it feels good.
Yes, heās the closest cleaners, but would I think about looking for someone cheaper? Not at all (Well, unless they ruined a bunch of clothes). Heās a perfect example of attitude mattering ā whatever your job, you can choose to be a grump or choose to be happy.
Way cheaper than 44 cents.
At the Doubletree in Plymouth Meeting, PA ā where I often stay on business ā the hotel manager often stands in the lobby and personally hands out bottled water to people walking out of the hotel to start their day. It sounds silly, but a cold bottle of water when Iām about to start a long day at a clientās offices makes a real difference to me. I donāt have to stop and get one, I donāt have to feel like Iām imposing on my client by asking for water. Enterprise rent-a-car does the same thing.
It is really uplifting to read so many stories of acts of kindness. I think the greatest part is that the effect on happiness is double because the people who perform these acts of kindness increase their positivity as well, as some of the comments have pointed out. Great post, Daniel!
Dan,
You huge fan. I have shown your TED talk to all the classes I teach.
I had a couple ideas for your ā44 Centā plan for your readers.
But I donāt want to impose. Kindly drop me a line and I promise to write back.
Cheers,
Amresh
Amresh Kumar, PhD
Assistant Professor of Marketing
Sigmund Weis School of Business
Susquehanna University
Selinsgrove, PA ā 17870
Off: 570-3724514
Just playing devilās advocate, but the wow-factor of this hinges on it being something that isnāt commonly done. As soon as a major company makes this āpolicyā, it isnāt so impressive.
Not that Iām the ultimate authority on consumer psychology, but in car sales you get a good sense for how customers preconcieved expectations can outweigh just about any amount of service a business can provide.
The trick is to find something out of the ordinaryā¦
Great to hear youāre committed to improving your business and yourself! Iām 3/4ās through Drive right now and itās caused me to wonder about the school system just as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wondered about how we live: āThere has got to be a better way to learn than this.ā
Thanks for producing remarkable work.
I believe when we get down to the core of the matter, its the little things that define who we are āif for nobody other than ourselves.ā Giving mindlessly is something we obtain at an early age. Someone was kind to us, or we are shown that giving can be rewarding ā notice I didnāt say taught.ā We become you might say unconsiously aware that this act gives us pleasure on some level. Little did we know the rewards went deeper than the good feeling we get from the act.
I call this discretionary effort āPassionate Performance.ā It is the result of meeting three emotional needs (Achievement, Autonomy and Mastery) to boost performance and three emotional needs (Purpose, Intimacy and Appreciation) to ignite passion. Explanation of this engagement model can be found here:
http://www.thelgroup.com/p_TheLetter/18.asp
In spite of what my company does, I am a huge believer in the power of the handwritten note ā especially the thank you note (thank you Mom). Because of this I travel with them in my briefcase so I can thank people in a very personal way; however, I never seem to be organized enough to have stamps with me as well.
I have had three experiences exactly like Danās: 1) the Courtyard by Marriott in Krikland, WA; 2) Dinaās Garden Inn in Palo Alto, CA, and 3) The Crowne Plaza in Edison, NJ.
The fact I can remember these hotels by name weeeks/months later attests to the power of this simple act by the management and the front desk help.
Now, if they could just do the same thing with the extremely exceptional phone call I make from their phones ā that would be truly unique.