A Lesson in Customer Service

Before I forget it entirely, I'd like to relay a story about exceptional customer service that I provided to a customer. Am I a braggart? A narcissist? Duh. I thought we established that already. But that doesn't change the value of the anecdote.

A few months before Christmas a woman came into the store and said say she was "in love with a song", and wanted to buy the album that featured it. The problem? She didn't know the name of the song, the CD, or even the artist. She hummed a few bars but it was barely recognizable as music, much less a specific tune. After I asked a few questions, she conceded it was hopeless. She couldn't provide any additional information.

Then, just as she prepared to walk out, I heard her say that she'd just have to wait until it was 'on TV again'.

"You heard it on TV? Was it a commerical, or a show . . .?"

"A show. The one with the lady from The Apprentice."

Ah. Betheny Frankel. That narrowed it down to either Real Housewives or Betheny Getting Married?"

It was the latter. Another problem tho' - she couldn't remember the episode. So I hit the web, found the site for the show, and determined it was the very episode where she got married. This sparked the customer to mention that it was the song Betheny used for her wedding dance.

How the heck could you not remember that tidbit? C'mon!

Anyhow, I couldn't find the name of the song on the web at the time, and the computer was blocked from playing any video or audio file that might have provided the answer. But a Bing search did provide an article about the wedding planner that pulled off the event.

So I did what seemed logical. I called the Manhatten office of the planner and explained the situation to an assistant. She passed the call up the chain, and someone finally coughed up the answer: "No One" by Alicia Keyes.

The song, of course, is instantly recognizable, and had the humming gone better I'd have ID'd it on the spot. But the point is, I found the song, located the CD, and made the company a few bucks.

More importantly, I impressed the customer. She'll return in the future, and I'll bet she's retold the story a few times herself. One act of solid customer service may very well net a dozen sales in the future.

Here endeth the lesson :)