I had two great service moments that I feel compelled to share. Not because the acts were particularly profound, but because they made me pause for just a minute and feel good about the businesses I chose to patronize.  It has been a while since I have had such positive customer service experiences. All the more reason I felt the need to tell you about them!

My first experience came from a teller at Citizens Bank in Marlborough, MA.  I have been doing my business banking with this branch since I launched my practice almost 7 years ago. I continue to go to Citizens for a few reasons… the convenient location and the ease of online banking, but also because the banking professionals are really nice and remember me.  But this experience has sealed the deal…  I went to the bank with a few questions and logistical issues on behalf of our local middle school regarding some donations I collected. The teller was so very helpful– resolved my issues and gave me a solid suggestion on how to resolve one last question that they couldn’t help me with at the time.  I felt really good about how she helped me resolve my concerns and went about my day.  What was the extraordinary part?  Her follow-up.  The next day, I received a hand written note from the teller.  In her brief note, she thanked me for coming in, confirmed our experience and offered herself as a resource if the issue didn’t fully resolve with her recommendation.  This simple act of taking a moment to contact me personally made a huge difference in how I felt about my experience, even though it had already been a positive one.  The valuable lesson here… personal touch matters.  She showed genuine concern for me and thankfulness for my business. Nice job, Citizens!!

My second experience was at Price Chopper, also in Marlborough, MA.  Grocery shopping is a chore, and this trip was a biggie!  With the crazy speed of life and three kids finishing up a school year, I hadn’t been in a very long time.  The night before I wrote up my menu, a list of items I needed and clipped coupons in an attempt to tame the bill. I spent over an hour shopping and pulled my overflowing cart into the checkout lane.  A manager saw how much I had and opened up a new lane for me so that other customers could be serviced without a wait.  She quickly worked through my items and I handed her a huge pile of clipped coupons.  As she went through the list, we found that a handful of them didn’t come into effect until the next day.  Sigh… what a bummer I thought.  The manager didn’t miss a beat.  She politely pointed out they were not valid, but then just as quickly finished her sentence with the fact that she would be happy to accept them anyway since I was a day early. She promptly looked up the price differences and put the discounts through with a smile on her face.  I was impressed by the gesture and left the store feeling very pleased with my experience.   This act of kindness went a long way with me.  Way to go, Price Chopper!

My point is simple.  If you treat people with honesty and excellent customer service, it will come back to you (and your business) in spades. I have told quite a few people about these experiences and I have gotten positive remarks every single time.  In a time when customer service can easily slip, making yourself stand out with an extra touch can make all the difference.  Pass on the gesture to someone you know today. It will make their day, and quite possibly yours too!