In the February 19, 2009 issue of BusinessWeek, an article titled Customer Service in a Shrinking Economy featured customer service enhancements at BMW dealerships. Specifically, the automaker rolled out Wi-Fi service at its dealerships last year with the intent of giving customers an inexpensive way to pass the time while their cars were being serviced.

The cost was minimal because BMW just expanded the broadband dealers already used to run their businesses. Even so, every expense is being scrutinized in this delicate economy. BMW decided that positively impacting the customers’ waiting experience by helping them to increase their personal productivity was worth the investment.

But what BMW didn’t anticipate was that now, since customers were able to use their waiting time productively, fewer of them were opting for free loaner cars—which are pricey for dealers to maintain. BMW attributes a reduction of 10% to 15% in monthly loaner car expenses, in part, to the availability of Wi-Fi. These savings more than offset the investment in the expansion and ongoing maintenance of the Wi-Fi networks.

BMW has provided a great example of how a simple, low-cost customer service enhancement can actually cut costs while improving the experience for customers. The article quotes BMW Vice-President Alan Harris: “Fix the customer before you fix the car. If you focus on fixing the customer’s problem first, the rest is easy.”

I would add that, if you focus on fixing the customer’s problem first, you might actually stumble upon a cost savings (e.g., reduction in BMW’s loan car expenses) or a revenue enhancement (e.g., it’s well-documented that happy customers contribute to the growth of a business through their loyalty, future spending and referrals).

How does this focus on customers apply to your business? What inexpensive features or benefits can you provide to customers to increase their perceived value for the price paid—which is especially critical in today’s economy?

I had worked a full day in Washington, D.C. and then flew to Detroit for a presentation the following morning. I arrived late at the airport in Detroit and as I exited the terminal with my bags at around midnight, was confronted by a number of aggressive limo drivers.

I passed by several drivers and cars that issued subtle (or not so subtle) indicators that I may regret accepting their service. A few yards further, I was pleasantly surprised by an immaculately dressed limousine driver whose Lincoln Town Car was spotless. I confirmed the fare to the Renaissance Center downtown, handed him my bags, and entered the back seat through a door he held open.

When he returned to the driver’s seat and began to pull away from the curb, he asked me if I’d care for a chilled bottle of water.  Pleasantly surprised, I accepted.  He then asked me what type of music I was interested in. I told him that my taste in music was all over the board but that, at this late hour and with a 30 minute ride ahead of us, I’d appreciate something mellow.

He said, “Here, let me surprise you.” And I nodded off to Tony Bennett singing Because of You…

When we arrived at the hotel, the hand-off to the hotel’s staff was just as seamless and professional as my reception had been at the airport.

Naturally, I rewarded his attention to detail, professionalism, and memorable customer service. Like most customers who are pleasantly surprised by the service they receive, I tipped more than I would have ordinarily and I requested a card in order to schedule a return trip to the airport with him the following day.

How can you distinguish your business from the competition? What can you do to make an impression by pleasantly surprising your customers?

My wife had ordered a set of Batman and Robin walkie-talkies on-line from the website of a national toy retailer. After they arrived and my boys had a chance to try them out, we learned that the reception was poor if the handsets were more than one or two rooms apart.

The retailer has a store in my area, so I stopped by to return them. I explained the reason for the return to the customer service rep and provided the receipt from the on-line purchase. Unable to authorize the refund, she called her manager.

A minute later her manager appeared and, after assessing the situation, told me that no refund or in-store credit could be given because I didn’t have a “bar code receipt that would have accompanied the product.”

I responded that I was not aware of another receipt and that the receipt I had was, to the best of my knowledge, the only one issued from the on-line transaction.

The manager said, “I know, I know. But we were bought by new owners about a year and a half ago and they’re sticklers for the new policy.”

I asked him what the new policy was and he said, “That all product returns are accompanied by a bar code receipt.” He then poured salt in the wound by saying, “Before the new policy went into effect I would have at least been able to give you in-store credit, but now I’m afraid I can do nothing for you.”

Then I asked him what he thought Nordstrom would do under similar circumstances.

He said, “Yeah, I know.”

I was clearly disappointed by their restrictive return policy and said, “Listen, I know it’s not your fault. Someone else developed the new policy. But my son’s birthday is coming up and if I had received in-store credit, I’d be shopping here today. But, since I didn’t, I’ll be shopping elsewhere.”

What restrictive policies does your company have that may be driving customers away—along with their referrals and future spending?

Conveying authentic enthusiasm that adds a bit of a spark to an otherwise predictable transaction is an effective way for employees to express their uniqueness while making it memorable for customers.

Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, says that, “Any job is twenty percent knowledge and eighty percent interpersonal skills.” Consider how one’s authentic enthusiasm for serving customers influences his or her interpersonal skills.

Customers can easily detect whether or not someone is genuinely interested in serving them. The well-known UCLA communications study suggests that 55 percent of one’s trust and believability comes from the visual effect—her body language. According to the study, 38 percent comes from the vocal effect (i.e., vocal tone, inflection), and only 7 percent is attributed to the verbal effect (i.e., chosen words of speech).

The best illustration of conveying authentic enthusiasm that I’ve come across lately comes from the book, Flipping The Switch by John G. Miller, an expert in Personal Accountability and also author of the best selling book, QBQ! As you read the story below, ask yourself, “How does Larry’s authentic enthusiasm for serving customers influence his interpersonal skills—the way he interacts and communicates with travelers?”

It was 10 P.M. in Albuquerque, and my flight home to Tucson through Phoenix had been delayed due to bad weather. My new estimated time of arrival was 2 A.M. But things quickly improved, thanks to an airport security officer named Larry. He will forever raise the bar for TSA officers at airports everywhere!

Larry was directing passengers to several lines for baggage X-ray and security checks. What was totally surprising, however, was his enthusiastic approach to the job. Instead of mechanically pointing travelers to line number one or two, Larry proudly introduced himself to thirty or so exhausted passengers by shouting, “Good evening, everyone, my name is Larry. I’ll be helping you through security tonight. And just so you all know, it’s my birthday!”

Well, I couldn’t contain myself after seeing and feeling his enthusiasm, so I shouted back, “Happy birthday, Larry!” He giggled and said, “It’s not really my birthday, I just love the attention!” Then, like a maître d’ in a fine restaurant, he asked the folks next in line, “How many in your party?”

They replied, “Three.”

He responded, “Smoking or non?”

Meanwhile, a new line had been opened. As he waved several people into it, he quoted the movie Finding Nemo by chanting, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!” Everyone cracked up! By now, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how Larry’s attitude buoyed so many weary travelers. Then to the group behind me he declared, “Hi, everyone! I’m Larry!” And like a group attending a self-help seminar, the crowd enthusiastically replied in unison, “Hi, Larry!” As they moved toward the scanners, he joyfully delivered their instructions. I continued on to my gate as Larry’s cheerful voice faded into the background.

And the best part was watching the other TSA officers working nearby. They were smiling from a distance, wanting to have as much fun as Larry—but not knowing how. What a shame that the only thing holding any of us back from being more like Larry is…ourselves!

Larry is genuinely filled with enthusiasm and authentically conveys this enthusiasm to travelers in a way that is unique, perhaps even singular, and matches his style and personality. Authentic enthusiasm may be animated or may be reserved, but it will be real.

How do you express your enthusiasm for serving others?

Personal importance is often misunderstood at the frontline service provider level in the hospitality industry. I’ve had participants in customer service classes who challenge the notion that anyone should be treated any differently than anyone else. Some see acknowledging one’s personal importance or “Elite” status as favoritism. Others see it as an affront to their own social status, as though they are of a subservient class.

My response to these participants is that by personal importance, we are not suggesting a social hierarchy whereby customers are treated as more important people. Personal importance implies the acknowledgment of their importance as customers and the value they bring to the business through personal spending, loyalty, referrals, etc.

The best illustration of personal importance that I’ve come across lately comes from the book, The New Gold Standard by Joseph A. Michelli:

A guest of The Ritz-Carlton wrote a letter to the company president, Simon Cooper. In the letter the guest recalled:

“One of your employees and I got on an elevator in your building. I pushed the sixth-floor button and he pushed none. Instead of getting off with me on the sixth floor, your employee simply said, ‘Have a nice day.’ Upon exiting the elevator, I asked, ‘Where are you going? Aren’t you getting off here?’ Your employee replied, ‘No, I’m going back down to the fifth floor.”

The guest goes on to write, “I couldn’t believe it—how do you find people who are so invested in placing the needs of their guest above their own?”

The opposite of placing the needs of customers above your own is to place your needs above theirs. This happens all the time when companies cite “policy” as the rationale for not meeting the needs of their customers. Other times, customers may perceive that they’re being treated indifferently—like they don’t matter—and feel as though their business is being taken for granted.

One survey revealed that 68 percent of customers quit doing business with a company because of perceived indifference towards them as customers. That’s shameful!

So, ask yourself these questions: What might my staff and I be doing that may be, perhaps unwittingly, communicating indifference towards the customers we serve? And, what actions can we take immediately to acknowledge the personal importance of our customers?

I recall a Gallup statistic from a few years ago that 65% of American workers claim to have received no recognition in the workplace in the previous 12 months. If that’s true—as it apparently is for those workers—then ask yourself, “How might I be contributing to this perception by employees that they are receiving no recognition?”

To illustrate, here’s an example of how my 6 yr. old son, Coleton, felt slighted—even though he had been affirmed by his first grade school teacher:

I had been preparing for a training course involving statistics and offhandedly mentioned to Cole that there was a mathematical “pi” in addition to the dessert “pie.” He seemed puzzled (as would most 6 yr. olds) so I explained to him that the “pi” used in advanced mathematics is of great importance in connection to continued fractions, logarithms of imaginary numbers, and periodic functions. After my explanation, he looked at me with wide eyes, then squinted, and said, “Can you do this (as he moved his eyebrows up and down)?”

Okay, so maybe he was a little young for an explanation of “pi.” I did soften it a bit by calling it “a secret fudge factor” and told him that, if his teacher asked, pi was equivalent to (approx.) 3.14—which he seemed to grasp. He brought it up to me a couple more times to let me know that he remembered the value of pi was 3.14 and I told him that if he shared that with his teacher, then she would probably move him up to the fifth grade!

Of course I was kidding but Cole was determined to impress his teacher. So the very next day at school, he mentioned his new found fact to her.

As he recalled the conversation, he walked up to his teacher as she was preparing for story time and said, “I know that pi is equal to 3.14.” She responded, “That’s correct” and resumed her preparations. Cole said that, as he sat down on the carpet with the other kids, he thought to himself, “I should have got more encouragement than that.”

The moral of this story is that, while you may be thinking that you recognize co-workers all the time by saying things like, “Good job!” and “Thank you,” the reality for your co-workers may be that these canned responses to their workplace performance are meaningless.

What they may be longing for (and consider to be true recognition) is something more specific such as, “Good job acknowledging Mr. Larson as a repeat guest. I bet that made him feel welcomed” or “Thank you for staying late and covering my section while I dealt with that billing issue.”

Cole’s story was a great reminder to me that in order for recognition to be effective, it has to be meaningful to the recipient. It was also yet another example of how my kids teach me things everyday.

What about you? Have you benefited from this post? Will you be a bit more specific in the recognition you share with others today?

Honestly, I never thought I’d be writing a positive customer service story about a cable company in my lifetime. Cable companies, in my mind, have always been grouped together with poor service heavyweights like the postal service, IRS, and DMV.

My Twitter conversation last month with @ComcastBill changed all that. For the uninitiated, Twitter is a social networking website where you can post short messages of 140-characters or less. You can choose to follow the Tweets (short messages) of other Twitter users, and they can choose to follow yours.

Below is the chronological series of Tweets that made up our Twitter conversation. Note that my initial message at 8:59 AM on Feb. 26th was addressed to no one. I just launched it out into the Twittersphere. Fortunately for me—and the productivity of the remainder of my day—@ComcastBill was “listening.”

8:59 AM Feb 26th from txt
Comcast is out at my home. Tried resetting modem. No luck. Forced to find a good cup of coffee and Internet connection elsewhere.

9:06 AM Feb 26th from web in reply to enthused
@ComcastBill @enthused can i look into for you

9:11 AM Feb 26th from web in reply to ComcastBill
@ComcastBill Wow! Didn’t expect that. I just arrived at It’s a Grind in Aurora, CO and accessed my Twitter account. I’ll DM (means “direct message” in Twitter speak) you w/ details.

9:17 AM Feb 26th from web
@ComcastBill Not able to DM you. Can you DM me or send e-mail to info@stevecurtin.com? Thanks!

9:19 AM Feb 26th
@ComcastBill There, got you. I phoned Comcast (local service #) and an auto attendant lead me through the process of resetting my modem… (cont.)

9:20 AM Feb 26th
@ComcastBill (cont.)… No effect though wireless signal is strong!? My home # is (home telephone #). Thanks for any help you can offer from Pennsylvania!

9:29 AM Feb 26th
@ComcastBill @enthused I think the connection just came back up, can you confirm? I am showing everything good.

9:31 AM Feb 26th
@ComcastBill I’ll check it out in ~an hour when I return home. Either way, excellent service! And if you’ve been to my site, you know I’m a critic! ; )

9:33 AM Feb 26th from web
@ComcastBill @enthused having DNS issue in CO right now try changing your DNS to (DNS #) and (DNS #)

12:21 PM Feb 26th
@ComcastBill Yes, up and running…Thanks! Can Social Media Improve Customer Service? I think yes! A blog post in the making.

12:55 PM Feb 26th from web
@ComcastBill @enthused were trying

Wow! Did you also notice that @ComcastBill’s initial reply was within 7 minutes of my original Tweet—even though that message was addressed to no one in particular? That’s responsiveness! The issue was addressed, diagnosed, and resolved within 30 minutes of my original message!

My experience with @ComcastBill has transformed the way I view customer service and responsiveness by Comcast. Rather than being a critical detractor of Comcast customer service based on the negative reputation of the industry and my own personal experience, I am now—as evidenced by this blog post—a promoter!

I wonder when the postal service, IRS, and DMV will begin Twittering?

A few years ago I left a book in my seat on a United Airlines flight. I’m sure it happens all the time and in most cases the books are never reunited with their owners because, let’s face it, they’re relatively cheap and easy to replace. I bet most passengers don’t even contact the airline’s lost and found department to determine the fate of their books.

Even so, there are occasions when there is a bit more motivation to recover the book. Perhaps it’s a rare book that’s no longer in print. Maybe it’s a business book and the reader scribbled lots of notes in the margins. Or, possibly, it was an autographed copy that the reader picked up at a conference or book signing.

In the case of my missing book, I had purchased it three years earlier in New York City together with about two-dozen other books in a limited edition printing of Barnes & Noble Classics. So, even though the book was easily replaceable, finding this particular edition would take a bit more work.

So I called the United Airlines lost and found department at Denver International Airport the next day and learned that nothing had been turned in. The representative suggested that, since I had a flight out the following day, I should allow a few extra minutes to check with lost and found at the airport and also to stop by the gate area where I had last deplaned.

The next day I arrived early at the airport and checked with both lost and found as well as the gate area where I had last deplaned. Nothing. By now, I was disappointed in United Airlines and began to craft my complaint letter to its customer service department in my head.

Now, before you lecture me on the fact that it’s my responsibility—not the airline’s—to keep tabs on my personal property, allow me to share just a bit more…

• I had upgraded on the flight in question and was seated in one of perhaps five or six occupied seats in first class. As we deplaned, we went out a door behind the first class cabin. This means that if the book was taken by a passenger, it would have been one of the handful of first class passengers who deplaned with me. Unlikely.
• I recall setting the book down in my seat in order to assist another passenger with her luggage in the overhead compartment. The flight manifest clearly indicates who sat in seat 4B where I laid the book. By simply looking at the manifest, the book could have easily been traced back to me.
• Finally, I have a habit of using boarding pass stubs as bookmarks. Since I was two-thirds of the way through the book, I bet I had 5 or 6 stubs in it—each containing my name and frequent flyer number. By simply looking up my Mileage Plus account, the book could have easily been returned to me.

The tone of my letter to United Airlines was not one of avoiding my responsibility in maintaining possession of my belongings. I acknowledge my role here—really, I do. In my letter I told United Airlines that I viewed our relationship as a partnership. In a partnership, each party takes responsibility for the success of the relationship.

There are times, for instance, when I make allowances for the scheduling or maintenance oversights of the airline. This usually results in a delayed or canceled flight. Sometimes the lapse involves the handling of my luggage and I have to wait in line to report my missing bag, complete paperwork, and then get by with what I have until my luggage finally arrives—assuming it does arrive…

These are examples of when I, the customer, make allowances for the service lapses of the airline. I’m not happy about the delays, cancellations, or mishandled luggage but I understand it’s one of the unpleasant realities of frequent travel and continue flying United Airlines nonetheless.

So now let’s consider United’s responsibility in our partnership. I would expect that the airline reciprocate with their customers and assume some responsibility when passengers inadvertently leave behind a book, cell phone, or some other possession.

Although it’s clearly a lapse by the customer, the proper handling of lost and found items (whether found by a United Airlines employee or even a contract employee whose job it is to clean the cabin) demonstrates the reciprocal nature of partnerships. The items should be catalogued and secured in the airline’s lost and found department and the airline should make every reasonable effort to reunite passengers with their belongings.

I pointed this out to United Airlines in my letter and they graciously responded with a sincere letter of apology and a $50 AMEX Gift Cheque. In the end, United Airline’s customer service department did the best it could to remedy a situation that, in my mind, was avoidable.

Now, ask yourself, “How does the premise of a customer-supplier partnership apply to my business?”

Consider other questions like, “What allowances do we ask—or even expect—our customers to make for our lapses in product or service quality?” and, “In what ways can we reciprocate with our customers to demonstrate that we recognize that partnerships require the sincere efforts of both parties?”

By addressing these types of questions in advance, you demonstrate to all stakeholders—customers and employees alike—that you’re in a partnership where each party takes responsibility for the success of the relationship.

Last month, I presented a customer service message to a group of managers from Townhouse Inns of Montana, a division of Town Pump, Inc.

During my work with them I learned that the company founder, Tom Kenneally, Sr., began the company in Butte, Montana as a single full service gas station in 1953. It was here that he began to lay the customer service foundation for a company that would later expand into lodging, casinos, car washes, convenience stores, propane services, and more.

Here are just a few examples:

• Tom, Sr. would hand the customer his wristwatch to time his oil change which was guaranteed to take less than 3 minutes or the oil change was free! This gesture demonstrated that he valued his customer’s time and was confident in his own ability to perform the service within the timeframe promised.
• Back in the 1950s, the state of Montana published a vehicle registration directory that listed every license plate number issued as well as the name corresponding to it. In 1953 in Butte, Montanan you can rest assured that Tom, Sr. knew most of his customers by name. However, on those occasions when an unfamiliar vehicle pulled into the service station, he would take note of the plate number and then quickly look up the name associated with it. This way, he could greet the customer by name!
• More recently, Town Pump, Inc. established a charitable foundation with the mission to provide financial support to Montana charitable or governmental organizations with the priority to support and meet basic needs and education for Montana citizens. The Town Pump Charitable Foundation has contributed $1.15 million to Montana food banks alone over the past seven years.

A company’s history is vital to its identity and culture. Current employees take their cues from the patterns forged over time that emerge as company history, legacies, stories, and culture. In the case of Town Pump, Inc., it’s a story of 56 years of service to its customers, employees, and neighbors.

And remember that while 1953 was a long time ago, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your company’s existence. In other words, the stories and legacies that will come to define your company in the future are being created right now!

So the question becomes, “What am I doing right now that will support the kind of service culture that I want to be associated with and remembered for?” Once you’ve identified that, now you just simply need to behave on your good intentions—as Tom, Sr. has done for so many years.

Last month while I was awaiting a flight at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin, I received a phone call from Lisa, an account executive with FedEx.

Lisa was calling me to check on my newly established corporate account and see whether or not I had any questions or needed any shipping supplies. We had a nice chat during which she pulled up my website and asked me why I was holding a pineapple—but that’s a topic for another blog posting… As our conversation ended, Lisa reinforced that she was available when questions did arise and let me know that she would be sending me an email containing her contact information so I would have a record of it.

So here I was, just four weeks into my corporate account with FedEx and having spent less than $100 in shipping with them at the time, receiving a phone call from a company representative. And it was not simply a rote, transactional call confirming the details of my account. Lisa was fun, animated, engaging, and demonstrated her genuine interest by pulling up my website during our call and asking me questions about my business.

After our call, it occurred to me that in the ten years that I used DHL Express I had never received a call from a company representative. During that period, I spent thousands of dollars on domestic and international shipping. As you may know, DHL Express ceased domestic operations in December 2008. That is why I established a corporate account with FedEx in January.

Companies in general—and overnight shipping companies in particular—live or die based on the confidence customers have in their service. And confidence is reinforced through personalized, memorable customer service. To me, FedEx has consistently delivered confidence and reliability.

Now, after my memorable phone call with Lisa, I see them as delivering a personal touch as well.

Go FedEx!