My family will be taking off in a few days for a long weekend, hitting a few favorite spots around Sarasota, Florida. Our list of must-do places for lunch and dinner is long, as we make up for the lack of fresh seafood in landlocked Indiana. But there is this one place that we’ll be going to for an entirely different reason.
The Bridge Tender Inn in Bradenton Beach is not especially known for its food, though it is very good. While we like the atmosphere, it is not especially noteworthy. It’s hard to get to and parking isn’t always easy to come by, but we love the place. So, what is there to love there that makes us especially excited to go back? - Customer Service
On our last visit to the area, we were served by a young lady who was very good at her job. She was welcoming, fun, and did a great job. But what really set her apart was the gift she gave my wife and a dear friend. They both noticed a necklace that the waitress was wearing and complimented her on it. To what I think was everyone’s surprise, she put down her tray and proceeded to immediately give it to my friend Jean and then told us this story.
The waitress loved the necklace and was able to find several of them at a jewelry store close out and purchased them. She had decided that this necklace was going to be her way of spreading love and goodwill around the world to the people who would simply notice and compliment the necklace. In her own small way, she was making the world a better place by spreading good feelings while creating a memorable customer experience. Fast forward to the next day, and we’re back at the bar – no judgment please, we were on vacation! Same waitress with the same necklace dangling from her neck. My wife almost jokingly compliments her on the necklace, and we repeated the scene from the day before.
I knew the young lady’s name over a year ago, but sadly I’ve lost it. I would love to call her out by name in this post for her amazing attitude, work ethic, and commitment to customer service. I promise you though, I will be at that bar looking for her and to tell her firsthand of the impact she made. I’ve talked of the Bridge Tender Inn several times since that encounter, advising people to check out this small little slice of waterfront heaven and to look for the waitress who is single-handedly trying to change the world.
Offering up a relatively inexpensive piece of costume jewelry doesn’t make sense if you’re calculating the bottom line for this waitress or the bar she’s working at though I'm sure it does help her with tips. In fact, if you got an accountant’s opinion or some business consultant, they would likely recommend she discontinue this habit as a cost-cutting measure. I understand the need to be frugal in business operations. In fact, in many ways I made a career looking for those cost cutting opportunities.
A quote often attributed to Albert Einstein states that “not everything that counts can be counted.” The actual quote belongs to William Bruce Cameron. Regardless of who said it, there is a lot of truth in that phrase, especially as it relates to good customer service. Pick an industry today, and I’ll name you a major player in that industry that is not factoring in the impact of customer service, cutting corners, and fooling themselves into believing that the cost of quality customer interactions isn’t worth it.
Our waitress in Florida who was faced with the decision to do something unique and memorable for her customers, embraced the impact of customer service and invested in a small jewelry giveaway. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t flush with cash, but the cost of the act wasn’t the driving factor in her decision. I’m sure her accountant or financial advisor, if she has one would advise her to stop this foolish expenditure and bolster her bottom line.
For that young lady at the Bridge Tender Inn and in the case of where I currently work, the approach is to wow the customer, and spend a little to gain a lot. While you cannot count a positive customer experience, you can see the difference it makes.
Sweetwater is the largest online music instrument and pro audio gear retailer in the country. They also have an amazing headquarters with a brick-and-mortar store in Fort Wayne, Indiana which is a must visit for a musician. I can think of many great reasons why you should buy your next guitar from Sweetwater, but one of my favorites is the special treat in every package.
Sweetwater packs a small bag of candy in the box with every purchase. I’d like to think that the expertise provided, great product selection along with an overwhelming desire to provide best-in-class customer service are the reasons to select Sweetwater. And that is very often the case when people are making their purchases. But for some, it is that candy.
I get the pleasure everyday of reading customer-submitted comments as a part of my job, and the number one comment consistently is about the candy. One comment after another – from which is their favorite or least favorite, requests for specific candy, or a plea for additional candy.
Some of my personal favorites are the requests for a specific candy for the musician to give (bribe) their significant other into not being mad that the purchase was made.
Earlier this week, one particular comment stood out. “ Please give me candy - the only reason I'm getting this from Sweetwater and not Amazon is because I love the candy.” I do think that was said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but there is also a valuable lesson to be learned here.
Ever get a piece of candy in an Amazon box? Of course not, but you do every time with Sweetwater. Ever try to call Amazon to ask specifics about a product, its features and benefits or warranty? Silly to even ask, right? But the answer at Sweetwater is yes to both.
In a race to the bottom for many retailers, Sweetwater is standing out from the pack and investing in manpower to fill those candy bags, spending money for the candy itself. Even the extra weight it adds to each package might add shipping costs. All that extra effort and expense to provide an amazing, beloved customer experience. Does it make sense if you review this act strictly from an expense standpoint? Not really, but Sweetwater understands just like that Florida waitress know that not everything that counts can be counted.
One of the most impactful books I’ve ever read was written by Randy Pausch. Randy was one of the first YouTube sensations with his video “The Last Lecture”. His story and his message are amazing. If you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor and watch then drop me a note to tell me what you think.
In his follow up book, Pausch tells the story of the million-dollar ashtray he purchased from Disney when he was a kid. As a child, he was at Disneyland and decided to take the few dollars he had and purchase an ashtray for his parents. It was the 1970s, so yes ashtrays were useful, great gifts at the time. Leaving the store on Main Street in Disney he dropped the bag and the ashtray shattered. A Disney employee saw what happened, came up to console him and replaced the ashtray with a brand new one. The situation was completely Randy’s fault, yet Disney stepped up and created a memorable customer experience. As Pausch explains, the cost of replacing the ashtray was minimal to Disney but provided a last impression on him. Because he developed such a deep attachment to the brand, he estimated that he had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars with Disney through the years. Looking back, he traced it to the replaced ashtray and the exceptional customer service.
Whether it is Disney, Sweetwater or even the waitress at the bar, you can see the value of providing exceptional customer service and customer experiences. If you as an individual are looking to stand out or the organization you lead is, take a page from their playbook and find a way for you to make a lasting impression, and a lifetime customer.
And one more thing about the Bridge Tender Inn server. Once back home, my wife was able to find the same jewelry and purchased a few. She's kept one of them, but has given away the others to people who complimented her on it. It's just my wife's way of trying to make the world a better place.
I wanted to see the necklace....