5 Customer Service Parables

As unbelievable as they might seem, the following tales of legendary customer service happened exactly as they are described.

The Tiger and the Giraffe. Once, there was a little girl called Lily. She couldn't understand why the tiger bread at her local Sainsbury's wasn't called giraffe gread. To her eyes, the pattern on the loaf looked much more like a giraffe's spots than a tiger's stripes. She wrote to the company to express her confusion. The company wrote back saying they loved her idea, and duly renamed the bread.

Moral: embrace feedback. Listening to your customers will help ensure their wants and needs are being met.

The Hungry Traveler and the Steakhouse. Before boarding a flight to Newark, writer Peter Shankman jokingly tweeted Morton's Steakhouse. When he arrived, Peter was surprised to find a tuxedoed Morton's employee waiting for him with a steak, shrimp, potatoes, bread, napkins, and cutlery.

Moral: be responsive. In today's business environment, customers expect quick, efficient service.

The Disapproving Spouse and the Tech Company. A man purchased an iPad 2 shortly after its release, but promptly returned it with a post-it note attached to the front. The note somehow came to the attention of two VPs at Apple, who refunded the customer and returned the device to him accompanied by a fresh post-it.

Moral: empathize. Understanding how your customers feel will help strengthen your personal relationship with them.

The Broken Stream and the Trekkie. A Netflix customer was having trouble watching an episode of an American sitcom. He contacted customer support through live chat. 'I have a problem to report.' 'This is Cpt Mike of the good ship Netflix, which member of the crew am I speaking with today?' 'Greetings, Captain. Lieutenant Norm here. Engineering has a problem to report.' Neither person broke character for the duration of the conversation.

Moral: tailor your communication. Treat each customer as an individual and adjust your tone of voice accordingly.

The Bad Eggs and the Good Chef. Guests at the Ritz-Carlton, Bali, brought specialized eggs and milk with them for their young son, who suffered from allergies. Upon arrival, they discovered the products had spoiled in transit. The hotel couldn't source the milk and eggs locally, but the executive chef remembered there was a store in Singapore that kept them in stock. He phoned his mother-in-law, who picked up the products, got on a plane, and delivered them to the hotel.

Moral: go the extra mile. Whether literally or figuratively, constantly be on the lookout for ways to exceed customer expectations.

Though these parables may seem extraordinary, they hold ordinary lessons for delivering outstanding customer service:

• Embrace feedback.
• Be responsive.
• Show empathy.
• Tailor your communication.
• Go the extra mile.

Bear these lessons in mind, and you will be well on your way to crafting your own customer-service legend.