Extreme Service...with a Stuffed Giraffe

Written by Anthony Demangone

Recently, NAFCU held a strategic planning session with our management team.  We threw around the idea of "extreme member service."  But then someone raised a good point...

Just what does that term mean? 

A huge hat tip to our facilitator, Mollie Bell of Filene. She told us the story of Joshie, the stuffed Giraffe.  

In short, a family visited a Ritz-Carlton.  After the trip, disaster strikes.  A child learns that he left his beloved stuffed animal, Joshie the Giraffe, at the hotel.  The father quickly makes up a story...Joshie decided to stay at the Ritz for an extended vacation. 

The father quickly calls the hotel, begging them to look for Joshie.  Well, they did.  The story is perhaps the greatest example of extreme service I've ever seen.  You must read about it if you haven't done so before. (HuffingtonPost.com)

How good was the service? (Again, you'll have to read the story yourself.)  Here's what the father wrote.

It goes without saying that the Ritz-Carlton can count on my family to be repeat customers. But I'm also telling you (and everyone else who happens to read this story). This is something I've always told my staff -- create an experience so amazing that someone can't help but tell others about it, and you're sure to succeed. I'd also venture to say that Aaron (of the Ritz-Carlton Loss Prevention Team) and his cohorts had a pretty good time documenting Joshie's vacation, and employee morale is a huge part of creating a great customer experience.

If you are trying to show your team what great service can be, I'd urge you to trot out this story.  It sure worked for us.

Have a great weekend, guys. 

Comments

[Carol Brown]

Thank you!!!

[DJ]

Excellent story!!
Extreme Member/Customer Service can be defined by this story. When we go above and beyond our normal "call of duty" to treat the customer/member like a person (rather than a statistic) and we do the things that we would hope somebody would do for us. Human compassion plus the Golden Rule - works every time!
I loved this story! Thank you for sharing.

[Anthony Demangone]

You both are very welcome. What a neat story! To the Ritz Carlton guy/gal who thought of creating the name-badge...I owe you a beer or two in the name of all things excellent! For me, that was the icing on the cake.