All companies want loyal customers. Yet, most are clueless about how to create them. Companies that are consistently successful know that when customers have memorable stories of their experiences with you, it creates a permanent place in their brains and hearts, which causes them to remember and tell others about you and your company with positive feelings.

Following are 10 snippets from examples of stories with Wow factor from the article titled 10 Stories of Unforgettable Customer Service by Gregory Ciotti, published July 11, 2014 on Entrepreneur.com:

  1. A grocery story changes the name of a loaf of bread from “tiger bread” to “giraffe bread.” A suggestion made by a 3-year-old.  123 man telling story
  2. A hotel gives a clock radio to a regular customer who couldn’t find a clock anywhere.
  3. The entire team of a video game company signs and sends a get well card to a sick boy who is unable to play the newest release of his favorite video game. The team also creates a custom helmet and sends it along with other company goodies.
  4. A busy tire store that stays open late after closing hours on a Saturday night to change customers’ car tires with efficiency and a positive attitude—with the help of its 70-year-old owner. Now that’s leading by example!
  5. Lego sends a young boy a replacement Lego for the one piece that he lost.
  6. Trader Joe’s delivers food to a woman’s father who is snowed in–and does it free of charge.
  7. Morton’s steakhouse delivers a full meal–23 miles away–to a hungry customer at an airport because of a tweet.
  8. B. Dalton bookstore representative calls his competitor, Borders, when he is out of stock on a certain book. The representative reserves the book and prints out directions to the store for his customer.
  9. United Airlines delays a connecting flight for a lone passenger whose mother is dying. When the passenger approaches the delayed flight, he is welcomed with, “Mr. Drake, we’ve been expecting you.”
  10. The staff at a Ritz Carlton take a boy’s left-behind-toy situation to a whole new level. The Ritz Carlton staff take pictures of the stuffed giraffe relaxing by the pool, working in the back office, enjoying the spa, etc. Then they create a booklet about the giraffe’s stay and send it to the boy along with his toy.

Strategies that Turn it Around

In each story, a company created a story worth telling. And oh, yes, a customer for life! While in some instances the efforts by staff were extremely rare and “above and beyond,” most of the stories were created by doing the little things. The keys are:

  1. Stay present and be in the moment. Don’t worry about what happened before or what will happen next. Focus on what is happening right now. The rest will follow.
  2. Hear what the customer is saying by going beyond just listening. By “hearing,” you’ll avoid trying to formulate an answer before you know all of the facts. Sometimes, we jump the gun before we hear the whole story. You can’t offer a solution until you “hear” what the customer really needs.
  3. Deliver an experience that creates a WOW story. Be prepared to bend the rules when necessary. Sometimes, a company simply doesn’t have protocols in place to guide you in this area.

Remember: “Customer service isn’t about telling people how awesome you are, it’s about creating stories that do the talking for you.” — Peter Shankman

What do YOU to do create memorable stories for your customers? Please share in the comments section below.

 

Sign up for my Newsletter and get a FREE Ebooky?

Natoque curabitur placerat consequat! Nihil exercitationem rem sunt ad, quam dictum. Aliqua! Accumsan tempore. Congue, soluta turpis autem. Mollis? Parturient montes quaerat dolores dolorem, litora quis occaecat rerum optio sociosqu.

 

 

Thank you! Please check your inbox and spam folder for you eBook!

FREE EBOOK &To Our Newsletter

Get info about my upcoming appearances and availability.

You have Successfully Subscribed!