This past week I had the incredible opportunity to experience first hand customer service that delighted and delivered loyal customers as well as just the opposite.

Delightful Customer Service Experience

Since I do a lot of traveling between my office and clients within the Chicago metropolitan area, I spend a lot of money at gas stations and hence I am always trying to save a few cents. At one Interstate intersection, there is one station that is convenient as it is on the same side of the street and an easy in-out. However, this station is always several cents to a dime more than the one on the other side of the overpass.

Time was short and so I stopped in this national gasoline store to purchase fuel. Before I left, I went inside to the convenience store to buy a soft drink. The dispenser was not functioning properly on my favorite diet soda so I took the other diet drink.

When I went to pay for the drink, I nicely told the cashier, Toya, that the one dispenser was not working correctly and they may wish to fix it. She immediately apologized, gave me my drink free and then handed me a card for another free drink at a later time. I told her that I was more than willing to pay for the cola, but she said No, because the one I had wasnt the one I wanted. Toya continued to express to me that my satisfaction is important because my patronage pays her salary and she wanted me to come back. Wow, does this lady understand the bottom line or what? I asked her if this was part of her customer service training or was she always so customer service focused? She said that she is always like this because she truly appreciates every customer who walks through the doors. I thanked her and walked to my car thinking that the couple of cents I pay more for this fuel was worth it.

Undelightful Customer Service Experience

As I attend and speak at conferences, I was attempting to reserve a room at a national chain. Since the conference had just moved, I was a new person to this particular hotel. The reservation person that I spoke to was not physically located at the site even though the number was for this hotels geographic location. After waiting several minutes, I finally reached a reservations person. This lady was polite, but sounded like she was speaking to a dead fish. And I was the dead fish!

I had to repeat information to her several times before I could learn if any rooms were available. When room availability was confirmed, I asked physically if these rooms were away from the pipes and noise that I had heard several other of my colleagues had experienced during the last conference. She couldn't tell me that. I said I would think it over.

My fingers quickly dialed or rather pushed the phone number of the other national chain where I had stayed in the past. The Manager of the Hotel, Dennis, answered and quickly assured me that rooms were available. When I gave him my name, he remembered me and said he was glad that I was returning as a preferred customer. Since I was driving in, I asked him for a phone number of my favorite restaurant as I wanted to make a reservation during the drive. He quickly complied with my request and said he look forward to seeing me again. Again, his actions have created a loyal customer.

Both of these individuals, Toya and Dennis, understood the value of connecting with their customers and providing service that delights. Exceptional customer service does deliver loyal customers. Now the only challenge is to make sure that all of your employees are delighting and thus delivering loyal customers.