Going the “extra mile” for our customers is the basis for quality customer care. While this is not complicated to understand, many businesses fall short in carrying this out when dealing with their customers and their personnel. Why is that? Partly, it is due to lack of communication and training of staff. If employees were given specific directives and tools to assist customers, they would be more likely to do so. The Ritz Carlton is known for their exceptional customer service because they empower their staff to handle problems up to a certain monetary amount before bringing in management to handle it. This offers the customer immediate acknowledgement and it gives the employee authority and credibility to develop solutions for the customer. The other factor that contributes to inefficient service is the lack of staffing needed to give individual attention to the customer. Often times, the business is running low on coverage which causes a Domino effect in customer service. Employees who are too busy to adequately assist the client certainly are not able to go the “extra mile” in serving them.A store located in Bonita Springs called, “The Best of Everything”, and located at 28194 S. Tamiami Trail, was nominated for their Over the Top service in how they tend to their customers’ needs. Nancy B., a satisfied customer wrote, “Typically when you visit a store that is constantly busy because it is so popular, the last thing you expect is a high level of customer service. At the time of my visit, there were a lot of customers in the store. I asked the cashier if she had a particular bracelet in silver. Instead of shunning me away and telling me “no”, she told me she would check into it by asking other employees. They agreed there weren’t anymore silver bracelets left. Yet, about 5 minutes later, the clerk came up to me with a silver bracelet! She had been searching all along, trying to find one for me. Now, that is true customer service!” This type of attention to the customer reminds them that they are important to the business and are appreciated. Even if the store didn’t find the silver bracelet she had wanted, I can bet she would continue to be a loyal customer simply because of the individualized attention she received.

One more example of this type of service comes from a dear friend of mine who was beaming with pride in telling me about his teenage daughter’s new job in a coffee shop. He explained that a customer complained her straw was too big for the cup and asked if there were any smaller straws. The cashier taking the order was quick to tell the man they didn’t have smaller straws. However, my friend’s daughter, thinking outside the box, came up with a solution and offered to shorten the man’s straw with her scissors.

Here is a girl with limited work experience but with a vast amount of common sense and most importantly, the willingness to assist the customer and go the “extra mile”. This type of thinking can be taught but most employers don’t voice their opinion in wanting their staff to think “outside the box” and to come up with solutions. Remind your staff to get out of the “all or nothing” thinking pattern and to focus instead on how they can help the customer versus if they can help him.