It Was the Right Thing to Do
Customer Service is something most companies pay a lot of attention to. When it comes to taking care of customers, sometimes people go a little further than expected.
When asked why, their response is often to say, “It was the right thing to do.” Their incentive is simply the desire to care for someone else.
Customer Service is All About Doing the Right Thing
In many ways, that is what all customer service is about. While we are paid to do a job, sometimes we need to do something that is not required that is not required by the job. It’s something that is not expected.
Doing the unexpected, without the expectation of being paid, is what the next level of a good customer service experience is all about. Are you doing the unexpected for your customers?
Caring About Your Customers Demands Doing the Right Thing
I recently had an interesting conversation with a fellow traveler. He shared a story that perfectly makes the point about providing great customer service. His story was this:
On a recent trip he took a taxi from his hotel to his client’s office. After arriving, he realized he left his phone in the taxi. His immediate problem was that he didn’t have the driver’s information, and really had no idea how he could contact the driver. He did the only thing he could. He borrowed a colleague’s phone, called his lost phone and hoped the driver would answer.
Solving Someone Else’s Problem Can be Doing the Right Thing
Luckily the driver had the phone and answered it. The traveler told the driver what happened. An hour later the driver went back to the hotel and left the phone at the front desk. The driver didn’t ask for money for taking time out of his day to return to the hotel. He didn’t leave a phone number or any other contact information. He only wanted to take care of his customer.
Doing the Right Thing it Doesn’t Matter Who Created the Problem
We all understand that sometimes problems or complaints aren’t actually our fault. This shouldn’t stop us from stepping up and taking care of our customers issues. When the phone was left in the taxi, it wasn’t like the traveler could complain to anyone about it. It was the traveller’s problem. After all, he left his phone in the taxi.
He could only hope that his phone would be returned. The driver could have demanded to be paid to return the phone to the hotel but he didn’t. Even though he would have every right to do so. After all, it wasn’t his fault the customer left his phone in the car. And most reasonable people would expect to pay the driver something for his effort.
Customer Focused People Do the Right Thing
What did the driver do? The taxi driver didn’t ask for money. He even chose to remain anonymous. He did it because, returning the phone was the right thing to do.
That’s what customer-focused people do. They do the “right thing.” They do it because helping a customer is what they like to do. It gives them a good feeling. Doing the right thing is a mindset that’s rooted in dealing honestly is an amazing personal skill for doing good. Make it one of your skills. It’s a skill that’s worth mastering.
