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MenuWhat are the best examples you've heard of when a Business went above and Beyond?
What awesome, above average, little things have you heard of a business do that made you say WOW?!
What little tactics do you know of that certain businesses execute in their day to day customer interaction that makes them stand out?
What ways have you observed a business saying "Thank you" to their clients that is unorthodox but totally awesome!
Answers
Studying customer experience is fascinating, and one of my favorite parts of my work as a customer service strategist.
Zappos is one of my favorite examples of incredible customer service. They regularly upgrade orders to overnight shipping and they allow you to return shoes even after you've worn them.
Recently, I had a massage at a nice local spa. I was quite surprised to find a hand written card in my mailbox just two days later from the massage therapist. She thanked me for my business and let me know she looked forward to my next visit. I will only book with her from now on!
It's the little things, truly, that can make you stand out. The upgraded shipping and free returns (of worn shoes, even!) costs Zappos, sure. And the card from the spa took time and thought. But those things stand out in my mind and the minds of other customers.
If you'd like to dive deeper on this, I'd love to schedule a call. Thanks for the question!
My favourite example of this (and forgive my hazy memory) was from an American airline company.
A passenger on a two connecting flights was going to visit his mother who was terminally ill and had fallen very sick. He was flying over as he'd been told she had hours to live. The airline company (who's name I unfortunately can't remember) did everything they could to get the flights off the ground as quickly as possible, the captains spoke to each other and relayed the important message and ensured that this mans journey was a quick as possible.
The man himself made it to see his mother before she passed away. In his words, if the airline company hadn't have done this, he wouldn't have made it in time to see her.
That story warms my heart every time I hear it and I think is my favourite story of a company going above and beyond.
Related Questions
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Could anyone help me find any legitimate companies who hire for work at home positions, online customer service, etc., which aren't scams?
Most customer service jobs are going overseas, but this is a great website with only remote jobs that might be useful: https://www.remoterocketship.com/?page=1&sort=DateAdded It's a relatively new site, but they're doing a great job.LV
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What are the internet companies doing the best customer service? And is Zappos still top 10?
Way too many to list. The usual suspects include: Amazon, Westjet Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Apple etc. I'm focused on new(ish) tech companies and their approach to customer service such as: Silvercar, Airbnb, ZenPayroll, Oscar.MF
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I am a trainer in Client Care as opposed to Customer Service. What business sectors do you feel need the most help?
With more than a decade of experience in top services firms (Technology products and financial products), being an ex-VP in Client servicing area, and realizing the impact good client servicing can have in keeping and growing your brand- I do know what you are talking about! The sectors which I feel need the most are- new/few years old startups (specifically service startups), they are so busy managing acquisitions, that they are forgetting servicing and retaining their already existing customers despite knowing that switching costs for these customers are ZERO and their competitors- many! Also, telecom & product support companies are lagging in this area. Hope this helps. I will be happy to have you arrive at a personal business plan for you to start building your training business in this area. Pls feel free to schedule a call or email me at ceo@flatheels.coSS
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We are building our support site for our mhealth platform end users on desk.com how do we organize the content?
As is my way, I have to answer tangentially: People hate reading documentation. Essentially no one will read the quick start guide, and those who do will have poor retention. This is not just a pithy quote, but driven by years of research into cognitive psychology. You cannot provide training around a complex (or bad) interface, and short training like onboarding guides have essentially no impact. If your responsibility is only the support systems: Ask the users. Carefully. You can't run polls and focus groups as they are not accurate but you can run (or hire people to run) "card sorting exercises." These are participatory design tasks where representative end users can help you understand how they would organize, group and label the information. That makes it more likely for users to find the information they need. Ideally, and if you have authority to mess with the design of the whole application, you don't even need help. No, really! I have designed complex applications (used millions of times a day) with NO help system. It can be done. For this domain, I would probably expect a help system, but one based more around digging into details, and presented in that way, instead of as help. For the interface itself, the application should instead guide the user, and if possible (based on information already entered, what you gather over time if it is something using biometrics or synched to records, etc.) automatically create the needed widgets. Users are very, very poor at customizing, no matter what they say. To remain sticky, make it easy, and personalize for them. I'd be happy to chat about this more based on your specific needs if you are comfortable sharing them with me.SH
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Help Desk Documentation Platform Recommendations?
The leading players are Zendesk, GrooveHQ, and FreshDesk. I have used all of these and my vote goes to Zendesk. I talked about it as a case study for a documentation task, see http://www.vinishgarg.com/2014/09/kb-case-study-pain-points-and-analysis/. I am also co-founder of @In23Hours where we develop product KBs in Zendesk. If you have any specific questions or doubts, setup a call and I can explain everything that you may need to know.VG
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