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Customer experience is key to a great brand/customer relationship…
Read what our consultants have to say about recent great customer experiences they’ve had.
CVS
I had an experience recently at CVS pharmacy that blew me away. I came in late in the afternoon and needed asthma medication for my son for immediate use. They were out of the medication, but the pharmacist called a nearby competitor, she walked over and got the medicine, and filled my order within 15 minutes. I have never experienced anything like that. I would be curious to know whether all CVS employees are empowered to do things like that to deliver outstanding customer service or if I just lucked out!
FastTrak
The technology behind FastTrak is probably quite common these days, but it is a great customer-centric service. It is basically a remote/tag you place on your windshield that lets you prepay your bridge tolls through all the San Francisco-area bridges more efficiently. It debits a prepaid account, so you don’t have to have cash on hand while commuting and then generally refreshes automatically with a credit card they have on file. The FastTrak lanes are way faster than cash lanes, so you save a ton of time as well. You can now use FastTrak to pay for parking at SFO, which is great. You drive through a special lane on the way in and out and then it just shows up on your bill/debits it. Just one of those services that is well thought out and not overly sexy, but can make a difference in your life on a daily basis.
Small Frys Children’s & Infants Clothes
This children’s store has a deluxe changing facility which brings the concept of a “changing room” to a whole new level. Parents who are browsing in the store can change their child’s dirty diaper in the changing room which is equipped with all the necessary equipment (e.g., diapers, wipes, diaper cream, trash can, etc…). The clean and well-equipped changing room always lures me into the store. Once my child is clean and happy I am so grateful that I always buy something even if I don’t need it. I also love the fact that the store caters to a mother’s needs even if it means offering a service which is not necessarily a direct revenue source for them.
Diners Club
I was in O’Hare juggling kids, boarding passes, and getting sustenance as we boarded our flight to Pittsburgh, only to realize once we had landed in Pittsburgh that my husband had accidentally thrown my entire wallet away at O’Hare! I quickly called Diners Club which assured me it could overnight a new card so I could pay for our hotel, meals and rental car while we were away. I called all of the other companies that I have cards with, and none of them were able to provide the same level of service – for others I had to wait 7-10 days for new cards. I will ALWAYS have Diners Club card…they are the best!
BodenUSA
I had recently placed an online order, not realizing that in a stack of magazines I had yet to flip through, there was a new Boden catalog with a 25% off coupon and free shipping. Twenty four hours after placing my order, someone in the customer service department realized I was eligible for the discount and applied it to my order, without any prompting on my part. I received an email the next day that they gave me the discount and thanked me for shopping at Boden. I don’t order from them frequently, but with this type of service I may start!
Virgin Wines
Virgin Wines offers a “don’t like it don’t pay” guarantee on their wine, valid for 90 days after you order. One time after ordering some wine, definitely outside of this warranty, I tried a bottle from a mixed case which I didn’t like. Knowing it was beyond the warranty period, I went online and rated it badly in my tasting notes so I didn’t order it again. Within 24 hours I had an e-mail apologizing for the wine and reimbursing me. The personal attention and this gesture of goodwill instilled an even greater passion for the brand and five years after signing up I continue to be a very loyal customer.
Elm Grove Country House
I went to a hotel for a wedding and when I got there realized that I had forgotten the trousers to go with my tails. After some panicking and ringing around to try to find somewhere to buy some without much success, I asked the hotel owner if he knew of any rental shops; instead he was able to go into his cupboard and lend me his own pair...
United Airlines
I was flying United Airlines from London to Chicago with a layover in Washington D.C. I arrived at Heathrow 1 1/2 hours early, and when I checked in, the agent asked if I would like a seat on the non-stop flight to Chicago.
Not only was it nonstop, but it arrived 3 hours earlier than my original flight. I was elated. The only problem was, the nonstop flight was leaving in 20 minutes. The agent called the gate, asked them to hold the flight, and “as long I could run,” I would make it. When I got to the gate, the gate agent told me she changed my seat, to avoid sitting next to a newborn for 10 hours. And when my luggage wouldn’t fit in the overhead, a nice flight attendant put it in their luggage area, so I didn’t have to check it. I couldn’t believe it. During that one flight I experienced three different United personnel treating me like a valued customer.
