In today’s economy, consumers increasingly scrutinize the “value for price paid” of a product or service. While extraordinary customer service adds value, many service organizations miss opportunities to provide the “little extras” that create value in the minds of their customers.

Companies that recognize the value of offering “little extras,” and are intentional about incorporating them into the customer experience, can elevate the quality of their customer service. These value-added extras are frequently unexpected and so provide a pleasant surprise that forms a lasting positive impression on customers.

Here are some examples of “little extras” that I have experienced as a customer:

• Chick-fil-A, a quick service restaurant, provides a mint with each order—similar to full service restaurant.
• Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza gives me a two-stamp head start on my pizza loyalty card. Now I’m 17 percent closer to a free pizza!
• Tony’s Market in Denver, CO includes preparation instructions on its meat packaging (e.g., oven/grill temps, meat temps, etc.).
• A New York City hotel I visited encourages its front desk clerks to spontaneously send guests “Connection Cards” intended to welcome them, acknowledge something they shared during their check-in (e.g., where they are from, the reason for their hotel stay, the Broadway show they plan to see, etc.), and provide the clerk’s name and extension number for further assistance.
• The General Motors dealership that services my car always washes it before pulling it around front and delivering it to me.
• Our garbage collector always brings the trashcans from the curb to the top of our driveway.
• The Wine Experience Cafe & World Cellar in Aurora, CO serves its coffee tableside in French presses.
• Starbucks Coffee on occasion offers complimentary samples of ground coffee, pastries, and specialty coffee drinks.
• The professional waiters at Sparks Steak House in New York City are adept at changing the table linens between entrée and dessert courses without removing your wine glasses or exposing the tabletop.

Sometimes these “little extras” are tangible (e.g., Chick-fil-A’s mints) and other times they are intangible aspects of the service experience (e.g., the changing of table linens at Sparks Steak House). In most cases they are unexpected and have the power to transform routine and ordinary transactions into unique and extraordinary service experiences!

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary really is that little extra.

What “little extras” do you offer your customers?

As I read the June 6, 2011 BNET post, The 10 Worst Companies For Customer Service I couldn’t help but reflect on a poem that I read in college 25 years ago titled, Ozymandias.

The poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley features the decaying remnants of a statue erected to the renowned and mighty King Ozymandias, bearing the inscription: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

The central theme of the poem is the inevitable complete decline of all leaders, and of the empires they build, however mighty in their own time.

Think of former business empires such as kmart, Blockbuster, Pan Am Airlines, WorldCom, and Enron that once dominated their respective industries but have since relinquished their mighty positions or, in the case of Pan Am, WorldCom, Enron and others, have gone away completely.

In addition to providing indifferent customer service, these organizations also exhibit(ed) an arrogance that seems to blind them to the realities of market forces, evolving technologies, changing consumer preferences, competitive threats, and other factors that influence business success.

Just as the mighty King Ozymandias couldn’t fathom his own demise and that of his empire, nor—I suspect—can the companies appearing on this year’s list of the 10 Worst Companies For Customer Service:

• Bank of America
• AOL
• Capital One
• Sprint
• Time Warner
• Comcast
• Citigroup
• Progressive
• JPMorgan Chase
• Farmers Insurance

The above BNET post offers rationale for why these companies appear on this dubious list. And, while I agree with these reasons, I also believe that the leaders of these corporate empires share the arrogant belief that customers are replaceable and their “kingdoms” will last forever—neither of which is true.

Are you a customer of any of these companies? If so, what has your experience been?

The following is a guest post by Chip Bell. Chip’s latest book (with John R. Patterson) is Wired and Dangerous: How Your Customers Have Changed and What to Do About It.

Two things I remember about my very first suit.  It was a powder blue suit–perfect for Easter Sunday church dress-up.  And, it was a “big boy” event.  I was seven years old.  The store was a two-hour drive from my rural home town and was visited only every August to buy school clothes.  But, this purchase required a special spring journey.

The “big boy” event started with the sales person pulling up a chair to sit in front of me at my eye level.  He shook my hand and introduced himself by his first name, not “Mr.” Without a single glance at my dad; he asked me about my favorite color.  And, my second favorite color.  He asked me about my hobbies and my best friend’s name.  We were pals in a matter of minutes.  I walked out of the store very tall with a suit in my favorite color, a white dress shirt, a pair of shoes, and a tie in my second favorite color.  Did I mention that I was seven?

The photo is a picture of my friend Steve Curtin’s son, Carter.  Carter is three.  In a few short years he will know more about buying online than you do.  With expectations for service climbing thirty percent a year, he will expect you to almost read his mind.  He will require you to make getting service as easy as riding a tricycle—maybe easier.  He and his best friends will determine quickly if you thrive or go bankrupt.  And, he will expect every single service encounter with you to be a “big boy” event.

You can wait until Carter grows up and be way behind the curve.  Or, you can practice on your current customers so when Carter crosses your threshold or home page, he will remember you like a powder blue suit with a forest green tie.