Donna Highfill
  • Home
  • About
    • About Donna
    • What People Are Saying
    • My Other Blogs
      • Dame Nation Blog
      • Huffington Post
  • Services
    • Power Up BUSINESS
    • Coaching
  • Books and Tools
  • Blog
    • Fave Products
  • Contact Me

What Customers REALLY Want – Compelling Experience

AndrewService Stories3 commentsMay 24, 2010

The following story is taken from a book on client experience that I have read, highlighted, earmarked, and read again. It’s called What Customers Really Want by Scott McKain, and the stories he shares support the fact that too many company executives think that customer experience and superior service must involve big dollars and nice trinkets. Studying the companies that “wow” the client reveals that the biggest differences come in the smallest gestures (check out Tom Peters new book The Little Big Things at amazon.com).

At Highfill Performance Group I’m committed to providing stories that help you influence others by delivering more of the why and less of the what. If you are trying to convince others that subtle behaviors can create a dynamite experience, use the the following story found on page one of Scott’s book:

As I sat in the wrecked automobile, dust from the air bag covered my suit. My ears still ringing from the shotgunlike sound of the bag’s deployment, I opened the car door and walked to the other driver to make certain he was OK.

I returned to my car and, finding my cell phone on the floorboard, I called the police. Then, still a little woozy from the accident, I realized there was another call I needed to make. I was driving a rental car from Hertz.

I pulled the car rental agreement from the glove compartment and found the number I knew was listed but had never had to use. The words on the folder read, “If you’re in an accident, call the police and then call this number.” I had called the police — now it was time to call Hertz and tell them I had just totaled one of their cars.

“This is Hertz,” the kind voice on the other end of the line answered. “How may I help you?”

“Well, I hate to tell you this — I have never had to make one of these calls before — but I’ve just wrecked my rental car.”

“Yes sir — I understand.  Are you all right?”

“Yes ma’am, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

“May I have your name, please?”

“Certainly . . . it’s Scott McKain.” My head was throbbing from the combination of the accident, the heat of the afternoon, and the stress of the traffic jam that had been caused (during rush hour in New York City!) by the accident. Suffice it to say that the middle-finger salutes our accident was eliciting were not out of concern for my health.

“Mr. McKain . . . are you absolutely sure that you are OK?” the Hertz representative inquired.

“Well–I am a little wobbly right now, but I’m not injured.”

“I want to make certain,” she said. “Hertz can always get another car–but we can NEVER get another Mr. McKain.”

That’s when Hertz transcended from customer service to compelling experience — that’s when they provided what I REALLY wanted.

I think this is a great example of just one conversational line, delivered by a concerned employee,  that transcended an encounter from something satisfying to something memorable. If you have a story to share, please send it to me at [email protected] and I’ll make sure to include it on the site!!

Tags: behavior, Change, donna highfill, featured, highfill performance group, influence, sales

Related Articles

Real Change Leaders: Dig or Ditch?

June 30, 2010Andrew

Real People: Acknowledge Them

August 15, 2011Andrew

Buy Some Ruby Slippers and Start Walking

January 22, 2015Donna Highfill

3 comments. Leave new

Jos
May 24, 2010 2:19 pm

Wonderful story and a wonderful line. Whether corporate scripted or not, it works!

Reply
Donna Highfill
May 24, 2010 3:14 pm

Thank you!! I always tell people, if you make a script sound sincere by delivering it with heart, then it works. How many presentations do we give that are totally scripted? The choice to leave out the heart and human connection is up to us!!

Reply
Myles Gaythwaite
June 2, 2010 11:42 am

Donna,
An interesting aspect to this story is that the comment made by the Hertz representative was more than what Mr. McKain wanted, it was what he needed. As social oriented creatures, humans have a need to know that when confronted with a challenging situation or emotional/physical distress, that another cares. Those needs are really inherent in us all. To bring them to the surface is not necessarily learned or taught rather really a matter of looking into ourselves in a similar situation.
Thanks,
Myles

Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Learn How to Tell a Better Story and Achieve Success!

Sign up below to receive 48 FREE Energizing Messages.

Connect with Me

Email
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Recent Posts

  • A Cab Driver Who Appeared as if from Nowhere
  • Here’s Some Honesty For You
  • Laughter is My Hero
  • A New Year in Old Clothes
  • Why I Will Face the Fall

CHECK OUT MY BOOK

highfillcover

As a leader, do you implement change only to watch the projects, processes and initiatives stall because you can’t get the people driving them to change? In my new book Real People, Real Change: Stories of a Change Warrior in the Business World I share real stories to illustrate how leaders can move people to action.

Archives

Where Donna Will Be Speaking Next

  • April 22, 2015 - SunTrust Women's Networking Group
  • April 23, 2015 - SunTrust Women's Networking Group
  • May 12, 2015 - LPGA Championship, Kingsmill, Williamsburg VA
  • May 21, 2015 - Education Association of Fundraising Professionals, Eerie, PA

Certified_hi-res

mbti_certified
huffbadge

Learn How to Tell a Better Story and Achieve Success!

Sign up below to receive 48 FREE Energizing Messages.

Recent Posts

  • A Cab Driver Who Appeared as if from Nowhere August 9, 2017
  • Here’s Some Honesty For You March 16, 2017
  • Laughter is My Hero January 10, 2017

Contact Me

804-370-6665
[email protected]
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
  • About Donna
  • Contact Me
Copyright Donna Highfill 2014