Monday, May 31, 2010

Customer Service Can Happen Anywhere


One of the traditions of Memorial Day in many families is going to visit cemeteries, and placing flags there to commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who served in the military. I hope that all of us have spent a little time this Memorial Day reflecting on the human stories represented by those flags.

My friend Cris Buckley told me a story about a very unexpected Customer Service experience this weekend. Cris was visiting a cemetery where a friend is buried. When she arrived, she was offered a questionnaire, and asked if she would fill it out and return it on the way out. She agreed.

The questionnaire asked questions such as:
  • Who are you visiting?
  • What do you think of the plot?
  • How can we improve it?
  • What do you think of the grounds in general?
  • How can we improve them?
There was also an area on the questionnaire to request more information about specific items of interest.

The words "Customer Service" and "cemetery" are not often seen together, but Cris felt like she'd had a great Customer Service experience. And why not? A cemetery is, after all, a business, and one that provides a service that can be very personally sensitive.

Great Customer Service can happen anywhere, at any time. All that's necessary is a relationship of Customer to any business or service. The quality of the service is determined solely by the Customer.

Cris, thanks for sharing your story.

Give it some thought.

2 comments:

  1. Who'd have thought...? But I'm certain your friend Cris is grateful the management of the cemetery realized, yes, they run a business, and yes again, the service they provide their customers (in this case, grieving and/or remembering family & friends) is important to those customers. Thanks for sharing, Roy. This is one spin on customer service that had not yet occurred to me til now.

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  2. Thanks, Ted. A very unusual Customer Service encounter, yes, but the elements are always the same. Foremost, realize that your business depends on Customers, and then realize that it's important to determine how to best serve the Customers. I've never heard of anything quite like it, and I'm glad Cris chose to share.

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