As a society we talk about customer service a lot and I think we all have some idea of what it is when we see it. We talk about great customer service as a goal, but how often is that practical? If I want order an iced coffee at Starbucks or a burrito bowl at Chipotle, I expect them to get it right and to do it in a reasonably efficient way. What could they do that would have me saying ‘wow’ in that context? What would turn it from good to great service?

I think I’ve been thinking about this some after two surprising examples of good service. The first was at a recent PASS meeting, we had a conference room at a hotel and the hotel staff sets up breakfast and lunch so that we don’t lose time. Typically the food is just OK and that is about that. This time at this particular hotel they assigned one staff member to support us during the day and it was just nice. She refilled glasses, cleared dishes, and when I had a problem with a power cable, found someone to loan me one for the day. So what made it nice? Was it having table service? No, in truth, for me, it was her attitude. She was determined to do anything she could to make our day go well and to remove any distraction that she could, and she did it in a pleasant, quiet way.

The second example was a stay at a hotel for a Code Camp. The hotel provides breakfast and you know how that is, sometimes good and sometimes not. In this case the food was good, the breakfast area well stocked, but what made the difference was the person running the operation. She was constantly out checking the dining area, picking up dishes, asking if anyone needed anything. She smiled, helped, and seemed to really enjoy what she was doing. It felt like it was her business and not just a job.

So you see the common thread. It wasn’t so much what they did; it was how they did it. They took ownership of a task in the best sense of the word, and they liked doing the task, it was important to them that they satisfied their customers. It’s the attitude that I’m very good at what I do and I don’t have to prove it, I want to do it and make sure that you get the great service in the process.

Think about that today at work. You can meet the requirements of your customers, you get paid for that. What can you do to wow them?