Does Really Good Service Matter?

Monday Morning Momentum™ with David J. Pollay

I learned two key things while building and running large customer service organizations. First, good service is "sticky." It keeps you attached to a company's products and services. You're more loyal to companies that treat you well.

Second, people talk. It used to be said that if you had a bad customer service experience you would tell seven people. The internet changed that; the stakes are a lot higher. Today we have blogs, email, podcasts, chat, clubs, online groups, instant messaging, message boards, text messaging, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, My Space, Twitter, and more. Now, one bad service experience can be shared with thousands of people instantly. The same is true for positive experiences; good news can be shared quickly and globally.

Here's an example of service worth talking about.

On the Beach

Dawn and I were celebrating our second wedding anniversary in Kauai, Hawaii. We were staying at the Grand Hyatt Resort. On the second day of the vacation, we decided to go for a swim together.

When we finished our dip in the ocean, we went back to our cabana and started to towel off. Suddenly Dawn cried out, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"

Dawn was looking down at her hand. The two-carat diamond on her engagement ring was gone. Two prongs were bent and two others were missing.

Dawn was crying, and I did my best to comfort her.

I said, "We'll get another ring.... It's just a symbol of what we have.… What we have is each other … and that's all that matters."

Don't get me wrong, I really liked that ring—it was hard to find and even harder to pay for. But, now, it was lost in the sand.  

Needing Help

Although I was pretty sure Dawn’s diamond was gone forever, I asked Yvette, a hotel manager, for help searching for it. To my surprise, Yvette immediately rounded up a small search party. Five of her team members came with her to help us look for the ring.

Together we retraced our steps and combed the sand inch by inch around our cabana. After more than an hour, I called off the search. We tried our best, but the task was too great. While the ring had sentimental value, I knew the ring was insured. But our vacation wasn't. We needed to put the lost ring behind us.

The Call

Now, here’s the rest of our story.  Four days after we returned home, Dawn received a call.

“Mrs. Pollay. This is Yvette from the Hyatt in Kauai."”

“Hi Yvette. How are you?” Dawn remembered her from the hotel.

“Mrs. Pollay, I have good news.”

Yvette paused. Dawn waited.

“We found your diamond!”

“What?!” Dawn jumped out of her chair. “Are you serious?! I can’t believe it!”

“We did!” Yvette exclaimed.

“That’s incredible!” Dawn was thrilled. “How did you find it?!”

“Mrs. Pollay, when you thought we had stopped looking, we kept searching,” Yvette explained. “We figured out your schedule. We knew more or less when you came to the beach each day and when you left. So, before you arrived and after you left we would go out and search. We continued searching after you returned home to California. And this morning we found your diamond.”

“Yvette, that’s unbelievable. You guys are amazing! Thank you so much.”

“Our pleasure, Mrs. Pollay.” Yvette was humble, but proud of her team’s effort and success.

Yvette said, “We sent your diamond to the jewelers to get it cleaned up, even though the sand actually did a pretty good job.”

Dawn and Yvette both laughed.

“Mrs. Pollay, it’s now in a pouch, safely wrapped up, ready to be sent to you. Where would you like us to send it?”

Dawn called me immediately at work after she hung up with Yvette and told me the whole story. I couldn’t believe it. They actually found our diamond.

I was relieved and excited to have the diamond back. I had searched long and hard for it. I had saved up to buy it. I thought it was perfect for Dawn. Most importantly, it was the diamond I gave to her when I asked her to marry me.

Service that Matters

Dawn and I were blown away. We had neither experienced nor witnessed such incredible service. It meant a lot to us that Yvette and her team went to such lengths to find our diamond. We felt emotionally connected to Yvette, her team, and the Grand Hyatt. We were so grateful. And we matched our words of gratitude with a significant gift that we sent to Yvette and each of her team members.

Did Yvette and her team’s extraordinary effort matter to the Hyatt Hotel chain? It did and it does. Here are two reasons why. First, because of the great service we experienced, Dawn and I have chosen Hyatt Hotels for more of our trips.

Second, Dawn and I have told this story to hundreds of people in person and to thousands more through my writing, seminars, and speeches. Every time we tell the story we are promoting Hyatt Hotels. There is no better form of advertising than our personal story.

When employees offer incredible customer service, it makes a difference.

Oh, and our ring, it now has six prongs!

 

Copyright 2009 David J. Pollay

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Have a great week! 

Best to you,

David

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David J. Pollay is the creator of The Law of the Garbage Truck™.  He is a syndicated columnist with the North Star Writers Group, creator and host of The Happiness Answer™ television program, and an internationally sought after speaker.  David’s book, Beware of Garbage Trucks!™, is due out this summer. 

David is the founder and president of the consulting and seminar organization, The Momentum Project.  He is also a founding associate executive director of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA).  If you want to reprint one of David’s columns, email [email protected].  Here’s David’s full bio.