Can you recall the last time you were blown away by a terrific service recovery? I experienced two in one day last weekend. Each was remarkable and accomplished with a very different method.
The first occurrence was at a wine bar, the kind where you get a glass and a card, and can self-serve wine in taster, half, or full glass quantities. It is a fun place and we chose to have a drink there while waiting for our table at the adjacent café. The weather was nice, so we were seated outside. While reaching in her purse to fish out a toy for one of our boys, my wife knocked over her glass. It shattered immediately upon impact with the concrete patio.
Almost immediately, an employee came to sweep up the glass shards. No sooner had she left than another employee came over with a clean glass. She asked my wife what wine she had been enjoying and explained she wanted to furnish her with another glass on the house.
I’m fairly certain this establishment has a line on their balance sheet that reads “glass breakage” and another that accounts for comp’d refills. This was likely a trained and well-outlined process at this business. It was executed smoothly, and elicited a great response by turning a stressful situation into one I’m enthusiastically telling others about.
Later that evening, I went to a cocktail bar with three friends, the kind of place that makes a lot of fancier drinks that require muddling and other time consuming crafting methods. The bar was jam-packed and the two bartenders were hustling. I volunteered to hover at the bar and try to get a round ordered. It took about fifteen minutes.
Before we had completely slurped up the first round, I signaled the barkeep to set us up again. Ten minutes later, I moved back to my original hover position hoping our drinks were ready. No such luck. They were all sitting on the rail. The bartender shot me a glance and a little wave, indicating it would be a minute or so. I returned to my group somewhat apprehensively. The next thing I knew, he had made his way around the bar through the crowd and hand delivered our drinks. He said,

“Sorry about the wait, folks. I’m training a new bar back and we ran out of walnut-infused bitters temporarily. These are on the house. Thanks for coming in this evening!”

I’ve been in many crowded bars and had never seen this gesture. Coming around the bar to deliver the drinks – and with an apology for the wait – was pretty unexpected and left a profound impression on my friends and me.
Having experienced a service “WOW” twice in one day made me think back to a former employer who always urged me to do unexpected things to create loyal customers. On this night, one example of great service was likely straight out of a corporate playbook. The other was off the cuff. Both of them, though, were perceived as unexpected and extraordinary. Not only do I feel good about patronizing both of these businesses, but also I have already shared these stories with coworkers, family members, friends, and now you. And any time the name of one of these establishments comes up in conversation, I’ll probably tell them again.
I’m always excited when one of my ETE teammates does something extraordinary – and I’d love to hear your stories, too:

• What are the common mishaps a customer faces in your business – and how could you produce an extraordinary result?
• Are your employees empowered to do the unexpected?
• What’s preventing your business from producing unexpectedly great customer experiences?

Share your ideas with me, and I’ll share them in a future Reman U.

It’s no secret that the Sales Cyclist is a positive guy and likes to embrace customer service that is above the norm. (And if it was a secret, it isn’t one anymore because – well, we just let the cat out of the bag.) Ready to share how you provide the extraordinary to your own customers? Comment below or share with Ben directly.