Absolutely Amazing How This Brief Sentence Echoed Exceptional Customer Support

"Everything we do, even the slightest thing we do, can have a ripple effect and repercussions that emanate.  If you throw a pebble into the water on one side of the ocean, it can create a tidal wave on the other side."
     - Victor Webster

Image Courtesy Seaskylab at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Those of us in the business of creating better customer experiences repeatedly hear the following:  When comparing positive and negative customer experiences, people are twice as likely to share a negative experience with someone they know.

Various studies have validated this reality.  A scary reality due to lost sales and other dire consequences it can have for companies that do not take customer service seriously.

While we live in a world where bad customer service reviews on social media can reek havoc on business success, I was recently reminded of the powerful impact one-on-one conversations can still have;  especially when these conversations are innocently shared with others.

During a recent visit to my local supermarket,  I overheard the conversation of two gentlemen who were in the same checkout line as myself.  They were comparing the number of open registers and wait times at the supermarket to that of a nearby, national retailer.  While there were several people in our line and other lines, the gentlemen focused their comments on the retailer's customer service.

One gentleman was most annoyed with his experience of having to wait in a very long line due to the retailer having only one checkout lane opened.   He contrasted that experience to the one we all were currently sharing.  One where the supermarket had several registers operating and moved quickly to open additional registers if the lines extended beyond a certain point.

As he prepared to launch into a new topic of discussion, he concluded his comments with a simple, 5 word sentence that captured the essence of his satisfaction with the supermarket.....

"They do pretty good here."

While I and others in line were not party to the gentlemen's conversation, I know we all heard the story and that great 5 word sentence.  A basic, yet powerful sentence all companies should wish to hear from their customers.

Image Courtesy Boians Cho Joo Young at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Customer service has an echo that ripples and resonates with existing and potential customers. The ripple of good customer service creates a beautiful, gentle wave that captures others and can be ridden to business success.  The ripple of bad customer service creates a vortex that dampens and can potentially drown a company's aspirations.

I'm pretty sure the gentleman with the bad customer experience had not taken to social media with his concern about the retailer's long checkout line.  I am also sure none in our supermarket line felt compelled to tweet, Facebook, Instagram or use other media to relay what they heard;  however, I am very confident there was a ripple effect created by the customer service perspective we all overheard.

As social media platforms continue to have an ever increasing impact on customer service perceptions, let's remember the still powerful, far-reaching impact basic face-to-face, person-to-person communications can have on the customer experience landscape.

Image Courtesy Stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By the way, kudos to Publix for being the supermarket referenced here.  Yeah, they tend to do pretty good there.

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