Living Outside the Lines: Exemplary Customer Service

By, Becky J Miller

Anyone working in a service type industry could testify that people are demanding, and quite often those expectations defy reason.  The pressure to meet everyone’s individual needs can be exhausting, and may decrease sensitivity to genuine customer concerns. 

Employees facing disgruntled customers on a daily basis can easily become jaded and uncaring.  Serving others becomes a delicate, emotional balancing act at which some employees excel and others simply do not, which may account for the high employee turnover rates in both the retail and food service industries. 

Most anyone can provide examples of what exemplary customer service looks like; they can also confirm when they have experienced it.  Defining it however, may prove a bit more difficult.  Business2Community.com explains superior service this way, “service that goes beyond what your customers expect and is served up by motived employees.” 

This past week our accounting team was tasked with serving breakfast to a group of visiting store managers.  Wanting to do something a little different, we opted for Chick Fil A breakfast sandwiches.  My manager placed the order on-line with a 6 a.m. pick up.  Since I live close to the restaurant I volunteered to pick up the sandwiches.

Ever have one of those moments where you just get the feeling circumstances are not going to work out in the way you anticipated?  That was me the morning of the breakfast pick up.  I checked online only to discover Chick Fil A did not open until 6:30 a.m.  My thoughts went something like this, “Hmmm……how can I pick up sandwiches at 6???  Maybe the drive through is open earlier than the inside.”

Arriving at 5:50 a.m. I find the drive thru blocked by cones.  Undeterred I left the drive through, heading for the door only to find it still locked.   What now?  Only one choice, head back to the drive through and wait.  There is still a possibility it will open at 6. 

Shortly, a young man, dressed in basketball shorts and tennis shoes, with headphones around his neck and a water hose approaches the car.  He tells me the drive through doesn’t open until 6:30 and asks if that’s okay.  I explain my dilemma, show him the text from my manager confirming the 6 a.m. pick up and he walks away, promising to go check on the order.

Three trips across the parking lot later, he assures me the food preparation is underway and allows me to relax inside the still unopened restaurant.  This young man gallantly offers me a cup of coffee while I wait, extending the offer to juice or anything else when I politely decline (remember the Adult Beverages column and my preference for syrup versus coffee??).  Thirty minutes later I finally have the breakfast sandwiches and am headed on my way. 

Now, in my opinion, Chick Fil A, the entity, failed me as a customer.  The website should never permit a 6 a.m. catering pick up if there are not provisions in place to allow for such an arrangement.  When I got inside there was much fussing over the misplaced order. There was an attempt to blame whomever took the order, but I gently explained there were no humans involved.  I kept my sassy mouth from pointing out the obvious fault in the logic, how come the credit card was charged, but there was no order to be found???  Again with the hmmm.

Despite the traumatic experience that morning, what stuck with me was the young man who went above and beyond.  Based on his attire and the water hose, he was probably part of a cleaning crew, he had absolutely no reason to be concerned about a customer waiting in an unopened drive through and yet he was disturbed enough to act.  I wish I had caught his name so I could notify the store manager.  I am sure his Mama would be extremely proud.  I would bet she spent his entire childhood teaching him to put others first, even when it isn’t convenient. 

To the young man who works the early morning shift at the San Marcos Chick Fil A, if you happen to see this column, thank you.  You give a human face to the term exemplary customer service, and I have no doubt your serving attitude will ensure your future success in whatever career you choose.

Until Next Time,

Becky J Miller

“Warrior Princess”