Listening to customers and delivering truly “mind-blowing” service can be a very effective way to engage your team . The following anecdote has been relayed countless times as a story of great customer service, but the untold story is the one of how a phenomenal team mobilized to make it happen.
If you Google “great customer service stories,” one of the stories toward the top will be from Peter Shankman. Shankman is an entrepreneur who’s made a big splash in social media. He’s appeared on cable news stations and is often cited in articles about social media trends. He has over 100,000 followers on Twitter and, important fact: He loves steak. In fact, it’s his love of steak that makes his website rank so high in our Google customer service stories results.
After boarding a plane back to his home in New York City, he tweeted, “Hey @Mortons - Can you meet me at Newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :)” Of course, it was meant to be a joke. Shankman was tired and he knew he’d be hungry after his long flight. He allowed himself a moment of wishful thinking when he made his Morton’s request.
Imagine his surprise when he arrived at Newark Airport to find a Morton’s Steak House server waiting for him at baggage claim with a full Morton’s meal in tow, still hot. Shankman writes:
Alex, from Morton’s Hackensack walks up to me, introduces himself, and hands me a bag. He proceeds to tell me that he’d heard I was hungry, and inside is a 24 oz. Porterhouse steak, an order of Colossal Shrimp, a side of potatoes, one of Morton’s famous round things of bread, two napkins, and silverware.
He hands me the bag.
I. Was. Floored.
Although the delivered meal was an incredible “wow”, what makes this story a great lesson for all of us is that Morton’s was “listening” when Peter “spoke”! A team of people mobilized and made it happen and I’m guessing they loved every minute of it, too. Rising above the middle always feels good. Exceeding expectations is inspiring and always feels amazing. In a time when companies spend millions trying to figure out how to “engage” their employees, one of the easiest, cheapest and most rewarding ways is to simply encourage them to be phenomenal and then get out of their way!
Food for Thought
How could you “blow your clients’ minds” so they’ll return to you even when they have other options available?
What can you and your team do to stand out to clients?
How can you bring your team closer together by making “mind-blowing” service a team sport?
