This post is the tenth in a series that has identified 10 different obstacles that have emerged from my analysis of customer satisfaction data. Perhaps you have encountered one or more of these obstacles in your own business? The tenth obstacle is missed opportunities.

Two years ago, I wrote a blog post titled Missed opportunities. I considered repurposing the content for this post but decided against it. While thinking about the topic, it occurred to me that missed opportunities include failure to provide both expected service (such as those examples found in the above post) as well as unexpected service.

Capitalizing on opportunities to provide unexpected service may actually leave a greater lasting positive impression than providing service the customer already expects.

Last month, my wife and I joined another couple for dinner at Mizuna in Denver. While taking our drink orders, the waiter, Jimmy, noticed my wife’s struggle to recall her preferred martini order. So he patiently walked her through her options: Gin or vodka? Dirty or not? Up or on the rocks? Olives or a lemon twist? Shaken or stirred?

Once her ideal martini order was sorted out, he took the remaining drink orders and left to retrieve the cocktails. When he returned to our table a few minutes later, he provided my wife with a simple “cheat sheet” that captured all of her preferences to simplify future martini orders. Brilliant!

What impressed me the most about Jimmy’s gesture was that it was completely unexpected. While I expected him to return to the table within a reasonable amount of time with accurate drink orders, I did not expect him to record a “cheat sheet” listing my wife’s preferred martini order.

Another thing that struck me was that Jimmy’s actions were voluntary. While accepting drink orders and delivering them to restaurant guests is a mandatory aspect of a waiter’s job role, taking a minute to create a customized “cheat sheet” for a guest is voluntary.

Lastly, while Jimmy gets paid to take and serve drink orders, his decision to jot down Julie’s martini order cost his employer nothing. And although this gesture was free, it made more of an impression than anything he was paid to do that night.

How about you? What could you do today (that would be unexpected, voluntary, and free) to capitalize on the many opportunities you have to create lasting positive impressions for your customers?

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?

In 2007, I read the outstanding book by Chip and Dan Heath titled, Made to Stick. In the book, the authors identified a number of principles that contribute to a message or experience being memorable.

One of those principles was unexpectedness.

In other words, if a message or experience is typical, common and expected, it’s likely to be forgotten. If, however, it’s unique, uncommon and unexpected, it’s more likely to be remembered.

Would you prefer to be forgettable or memorable in the eyes of your customer?

Mediocre customer service quality is typical, common and expected in most service settings. Exceptional customer service, by contrast, is unique, uncommon and unexpected. It stands out. It leaves a positive lasting impression.

And because exceptional customer service is unexpected, as customers, we’re generally pleasantly surprised when we receive it.

I recall a true story that illustrates the power of the unexpected:

Years ago, the executive team of a Marriott hotel in Denver, CO was making a sales presentation to a group of executives from United Airlines. The Marriott hotel was competing with a number of local hotels for a significant number of airline crew room nights for the upcoming year.

While the Marriott’s director of sales and general manager were making their pitch from the front of the board room, a cell phone began to ring from the inside pocket of the general manager’s suit jacket.

At first, the general manager seemed to ignore the call and continued his presentation. When it was clear that the phone was beginning to distract the group’s attention, he paused, reached inside his suit jacket pocket, and removed the ringing cell phone.

As his executive team sat mortified that, not only had he forgotten to turn off his phone, he was actually about to accept a phone call in the middle of a crucial sales presentation to the dismay of the waiting United Airlines executives.

It was in that moment that the general manager answered his phone, looked at the senior United Airlines executive and, with a wry smile, said, “Excuse me sir. I have Bill Marriott on the phone. He’d like to personally ask for your business.”

Marriott was awarded the contract. Are you surprised?

Have you met anyone who enjoys being nickel-and-dimed? Do you know anyone who embraces unexpected add-on charges? Of course not. That’s because these business practices are irritating.

Last week, I brought my family to Fatburger to enjoy a good hamburger (their burgers are delicious). Since this was my first time at Fatburger, I was especially attentive to things like cleanliness, customer service, value for price paid, etc.

I spotted a sign near the register promoting kid’s meals for $5.59. This included a hamburger, fries, and a drink. Since three of my four children were interested, I placed an order for three kid’s meals with plain cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate milks.

When I received the total, I immediately felt like it was too high (not the sort of reaction you want customers to have in response to their bills). After paying, I joined my family at one of the booths and began scrutinizing the receipt (again, this is not the sort of reaction you want customers to have after completing their purchases).

After adding up the cost of the $5.59 kid’s meals that I ordered, each totaled $7.36 before tax.

Here’s the breakdown from the receipt:

$2.79 Hamburger
0.79 Cheese
1.69 Chocolate milk
2.09 Fries
$7.36 Total

That’s $1.77 or 32 percent more per meal than I expected to pay! I felt nickel-and-dimed by the unexpected add-on charges. When I approached the manager during my meal to inquire about the charges (yet another reaction you don’t want customers to have), he graciously refunded me one dollar for each kid’s meal I purchased.

Now, I suppose a Fatburger representative would point out my own negligence in either overlooking the menu’s fine print (something else that irritates most customers) or failing to inquire about the price differential when ordering chocolate milk as opposed to a soft drink.

But she would be missing the point.

You don’t win these types of debates with customers. And even if you score more debate points, who cares? The customer ultimately decides who the real winners are because, in business, winning is influenced by factors such as repeat purchases, referrals, and other characteristics of loyal customers.

Personally, I am loyal to Chipotle Mexican Grill. Like Fatburger, Chipotle has clean restaurants and an amazing product. But unlike Fatburger, I’m not surprised by unexpected add-on charges and don’t feel compelled to scrutinize their receipts.

When I order a burrito with cheese and sour cream, the price doesn’t change. And if I order guacamole, the server will always announce the extra charge and gain acceptance before adding it to my burrito—avoiding an unpleasant surprise at the register.

In spending my discretionary income to dine out at a quick service restaurant, I will choose fat burritos with no surprises over fat bills with unexpected add-on charges.

How about you? Why do you choose to spend where you spend?