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It was such a thought-provoking question.
In an interview this week, I was asked, “how much does it cost a business owner to deliver memorable service?” Earlier in the day, I had read about a police officer in Connecticut, Michael Castillo, who was on a call to break-up a fight at a Target store. After responding to the call, he noticed two boys in front of the store, one of which was standing near a broken bicycle. Without hesitation, Officer Castillo swiftly fixed the boy’s bike. That moment , now gone viral thanks to a passerby capturing it on their smartphone, reflects truly memorable service delivered at minimal cost to the taxpayers of Shelton, Connecticut.
My mother once said, “it doesn’t take any more effort to be nice than it does to be mean.”
Like many of those “momisms”, I am not sure if the words are completely true. For some angry customers it does in fact take more effort. But the essence of the sentiment holds strong. It certainly doesn’t need to cost more to be nice. I would argue that memorable service occurs when we treat our teams with dignity and respect and when we encourage them to do same. Outstanding service cultures rely on positive storytelling. Why not share the store of Officer Castillo and ask your team what naturally occurring opportunities they have to take similar actions on behalf of those they serve?