Two Tales of Exceptional Customer Service

     Harvey Mackay, author of Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt, sends out weekly columns on all manner of business topics, from networking to lifelong education to customer service and more. For some reason, for me, Mackay stands for customer service.  

    Earlier this week, I had two exceptional customer service experiences that made me think of Mackay and reminded me to redouble my efforts to provide good service to all our real estate customers, sellers and buyers.

     It was a travel day which started off as a calamity waiting to happen and ended up being an amazingly positive surprise.  

     I was to travel via Southwest on two flights to get home. You know what’s coming. The first flight was delayed because the plane was coming from Baltimore and the east coast had been shut down for several hours due to bad weather.  Southwest on the phone said I would definitely miss my connection in Atlanta, but customer service at the airport got me on the next flight out the next day.  Not ideal, but handled smoothly considering the number of delays they had that day.  

    Then I needed a hotel since I wouldn’t be getting home. I tried to get on line in the airport with my computer, but that airport (Milwaukee) didn’t offer it as a free service the way the Jacksonville airport does.  However, my phone was able to get on line, but it wouldn’t let me book a room.  Who can figure why some stuff works and why other stuff doesn’t. Took out my Marriott rewards card and went old school.  I called. The Marriott people got me a hotel near the Atlanta airport at a better rate than I saw on line. I was set, although not happy that my trip would take longer. Luckily, I’m a veteran traveler and had a few essentials with me.

    Got off the first flight in Atlanta and headed to baggage claim when, miraculously, I walked by a gate that said Jacksonville.  It was still boarding.  I ran up to the gate agent and asked, is there any way I can get on that flight? I told him I was supposed to be on it, but was told there was no way I’d make my connection.  The gate agent typed a bunch, handed me a boarding pass and said “Run!” He also said, I don’t think there’s any way we can get your luggage on the flight.  I said, no problem. I’ll come back tomorrow and get my bags.

    So now I would get home, but I had a hotel room that I wasn’t going to use and knew I might have to pay for.

    Arrived in Jacksonville and got out my phone to call Marriott customer service about the hotel. When I explained the situation, they moved my problem up to a different level of customer service and said they would not charge me for the hotel room.  They know I’ll be back because I’m already a customer, but now I’m a really vocal pro-Marriott customer. I walked away thinking, wow, great customer service by them.  They must have had those Harvey Mackay seminars.

    Baggage claim is on the way out of the airport, and so, I thought I’d stop by and find out when I could get my luggage the next day. Bags were coming off my flight and circling on the carousel. The baggage office was still open. Sitting in front of the office, having arrived earlier somehow, was my luggage.  I couldn’t believe it, couldn’t figure out how it got there. At that point, didn’t care.  I opened the door tell the crew inside how amazed I was with the fact that they were able to get my luggage to Jacksonville somehow. I thanked them profusely. The two people in the office, who probably spend their day getting complaints, just smiled. It was a huge under-promise and serious over-deliver moment.  They made me a huge Southwest fan.  I wondered, is Harvey Mackay everywhere?  

    Somehow, a variety of employees of two humongous companies were enabled to go out of their way to create great customer service experiences. Southwest and Marriott must have really, really great customer service training programs, and they must empower their employees to get it right as often as possible.  I was impressed.  I think they must know Harvey Mackay.

Harvey Mackay sends out emails every week, and you can subscribe to them.  http://www.harveymackay.com/this-weeks-columns/ Just google Harvey Mackay.