I wrote on this blog recently about the importance of ‘going the extra mile’ in customer service. And then a week ago I experienced service from a small business owner that really ‘wowed’, an example of someone who drove (literally) quite a few extra miles in the pursuit of service.
We were on holiday at The Ammos Hotel in Crete, a small privately-owned hotel. On the first night there our 3 year old woke up in pain. It was 2am in a foreign country; we had no hire car, no knowledge of where the nearest hospital was. We dialled the ‘emergency number’ that had been provided, which turned out to be the mobile ‘phone of the owner, Nikos. When he discovered he couldn’t get a doctor to us, he drove from his house to collect my wife and son and took them to a hospital. There, he acted as translator; they saw a paediatrician who diagnosed an ear infection and issued a prescription. Nikos then drove my wife to a pharmacy to get the medicine - which he insisted on paying for. He then returned them to the hotel where I was waiting with our other child. In the morning I went to shake his hand to thank him so much for all he had done and to apologise for his interrupted sleep. He just replied ‘It was nothing’.
That demonstration of ‘wow’ service really got me thinking; and whether you are a hotel owner, a freelance copywriter, an airline or a huge retailer, it’s a great lesson of the power of great service. So ask yourself, are you doing the equivalent of getting up at 2am for your customer?
We were on holiday at The Ammos Hotel in Crete, a small privately-owned hotel. On the first night there our 3 year old woke up in pain. It was 2am in a foreign country; we had no hire car, no knowledge of where the nearest hospital was. We dialled the ‘emergency number’ that had been provided, which turned out to be the mobile ‘phone of the owner, Nikos. When he discovered he couldn’t get a doctor to us, he drove from his house to collect my wife and son and took them to a hospital. There, he acted as translator; they saw a paediatrician who diagnosed an ear infection and issued a prescription. Nikos then drove my wife to a pharmacy to get the medicine - which he insisted on paying for. He then returned them to the hotel where I was waiting with our other child. In the morning I went to shake his hand to thank him so much for all he had done and to apologise for his interrupted sleep. He just replied ‘It was nothing’.
That demonstration of ‘wow’ service really got me thinking; and whether you are a hotel owner, a freelance copywriter, an airline or a huge retailer, it’s a great lesson of the power of great service. So ask yourself, are you doing the equivalent of getting up at 2am for your customer?
1 comment:
Hi Ian,
This did get me thinking... and inspired my own blog, as it made me remember that I'd 'gone the extra mile' by working on Bank Holiday Monday!
Cheers,
Richard
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