Today's post comes from Bridgz Account Manager Andrew Galarneault.
A lot of companies large and small talk about their "great" customer service. Businesses want to be known for going the extra mile for their customers. In reality, not that many companies follow through on that promise. It seems that the bigger a company gets, the less attention is paid to good customer service. And it's even more rare when customer service goes beyond good or even great, into the realm of amazing.
Recently I experienced an amazing customer experience at one of the biggest companies I often interact with, Home Depot. A Fortune 500 company with 3,249 stores and over 300,000 employees, it has to be a monumental challenge to ensure quality customer experience, but in my case, they outdid themselves.
I stopped into my local store with the idea of turning an antique railroad lantern that was left to my five-year old son (who loves trains) from his recently deceased grandfather into something usable. My plan was to try and bring the old kerosene lantern into the electric age. I went to the lighting section and began looking at what I would need...electrical cord, light bulb, doohickey connector... Then I realized that if you use the word "doohickey," it might be time to enlist the help of a professional.
I flagged down a store employee and told him of my plan, and he instantly went looking for "Larry" the electrical guy. I found out Larry was not just some guy that messed around in his spare time with wiring; he was a Master Electrician. Larry started walking me through options of how this idea might come together, and how I would affix this here and that there. It didn't take him long to tell I was not exactly tracking, and he finally said, "How about I build it for you and you just pay for the parts." I was blown away. He didn't know me. I wasn't a regular customer. And I'd made it clear that I wanted to make it a present to my son on his birthday, which was in seven days. He insisted.
So, seven days later (the day before my son's birthday), I'm back at Home Depot to pick up the lantern and pay for it. Larry isn't there that day, but the staff knows of the project and has the lamp waiting for me. I tried to pay for it, but the manager said, "Not needed. We were glad to help." I insisted, but he simply said that he hoped my son enjoyed the lantern and that I would stop in again for any home improvement needs. He refused to let me pay for it.
So here are employees of a local branch of a Fortune 50 company investing time, resources and materials to build a lasting memento for a customer with no demonstrated Orange Box loyalty. To say the least, this company just acquired a lifetime of loyalty based on one positive investment in a customer.
Kudos, Home Depot. I will be seeing you next weekend, and the weekend after that, and the weekend after that...
