Three Feel-Good Customer Service Stories From 2017

So you'd like to hear a few stories about amazing customer service from this year? My pleasure. Anyone who has ever visited Chick-fil-A probably understands that reference. What is it, exactly, that makes us flock to the mile-long line wrapped around the parking lot?

Excellent customer service. (Well, that and the chicken, of course!)

Chick-fil-A, the fast-food Mecca of a great customer experience, has taken new heights to ensure its name is synonymous with unmatched customer service. Someone even made a hilarious rap about it on YouTube. The chain's employees do everything with a smile — even during lunch-hour chaos! But even Chick-fil-A knows that negative customer experiences can happen to everyone. Did you know that it takes 12 positive customer experiences to make up for one negative experience?

What did we learn from customer service in 2017? And how can you encourage your employees to treat customers well in 2018? Check out these real-life lessons below.

Drive Your Customers to Tears of Joy

Betten Baker, a Michigan dealership, is receiving a great deal of recognition for an act of pure kindness. Some used car dealerships can get a bad rap for selling cars with problems, but Betten Baker is turning that stereotype on its head.

Three months after Marty Helton bought a vehicle from Betten Baker, the vehicle's engine died en route to North Carolina. Having purchased a used car as-is, he knew the dealership owed him nothing. However, he had no other option, so he decided to ask for "a used Junker... with a million miles on it and rusty" that he could drive for a few weeks. Betten Baker responded to this request— and then some. Not only did the dealership loan him a shiny new Silverado, it told him they would retrieve his vehicle from North Carolina and work with the warranty company to get his car fixed.

Marty was so moved that he shared his experience on social media. His post generated over 3,000 likes, 450 shares and 200 comments.


What a great story! While you might not be able to demonstrate such extreme levels of generosity in every situation, you can always encourage employees to exceed customer expectations. Any personal touch, whether it's a handwritten note or gesture, is sure to enhance the customer experience. The potential for improving your brand's reputation is an added bonus.

Fly Past Customer Expectations

Lost luggage? We've all been there. It's undoubtedly a huge inconvenience, but for one Pennsylvania woman, being reunited with her things was especially urgent. Stacy Hurt, a wife and mother battling cancer, was brought to tears when she realized she wouldn't have her luggage, which included her chemotherapy medicine and a few good luck charms for her treatment the following day.

When Stacy made an emotional phone call to Southwest, Sarah Rowan, the employee who spoke with Stacy, promised to do what she could to make sure Stacy's luggage was delivered before her appointment at 9 a.m. the next morning. When the bag finally arrived at the airport at 2 a.m.— after all the couriers had left for the night — Sarah made it her mission to hand deliver the luggage.

Stacy's luggage arrived on her front porch at 3 a.m. with the following note:



It's good-hearted employees like Sarah from Southwest that will ultimately build up your business's reputation for being customer-service oriented. Because many companies are giving their employees more autonomy to make decisions like this one, it's crucial that you clearly communicate and live out the values you expect so your employees know how to best represent the company — especially in a challenging situation!

Walk Your Team Through Top-Notch Customer Service

When an elderly gentleman known as Mr. Roy walked into his local Walmart one day, he wandered over to the customer service desk to request help. Because he was blind, he needed assistance finding his groceries. While the store didn't typically offer this service, customer service agent Brittany Walton walked hand-in-hand with him for two hours until he found every item he needed. The picture went viral on Facebook and was a warm reminder that showing kindness, especially in this day and age, is never a bad idea.

 Customers can easily sense when an employee doesn't like their job or is in a rush to be doing something else. Whether it takes two hours or two seconds, be a support system by carefully walking them through anything they may need help with. Not only will you build a good reputation for your company and yourself, but you might gain a customer for life!

After hearing these three stories about outstanding customer service, we hope it inspires your company to go above and beyond to take care of your customers this year! Check out the infographic "Customer Service: The Forgotten Marketing Channel" for more tips on retaining customers with excellent service.

Solutions for Your Resolutions: Call Attribution and Click to Call

New Year, new you. With 2018 in full force, everyone has a fresh wave of motivation to finally conquer those lingering resolutions they've always talked about. For example, one of the top resolutions for 2018 is to lose weight. What's on your list? Whatever it may be, now is the time to begin working toward achieving both personal and professional goals.

Now is the time to evaluate your company top-down and compile resolutions to complete by 2019. Whether you want to enhance customer service, invest more in data analytics to keep up with the competition or increase your bottom line to meet demands from corporate management, implementing an action plan starts now.

Not sure where to start? Ask yourself the following questions and check out some of our tips!

Which Campaigns Are Working?

Picture this: It's January 1, 2019. Your image in the mirror scares (and delights) you because you look like your fitness idol. You actually did it! You persisted in pursuing your resolution to be in better shape. The only problem is you can't remember any of the last 12 months. What have you been doing that actually worked? How are you supposed to know what to keep doing for next year to continue this progress?

Much like this scenario, good campaigns don't work unless you know what makes them successful. It's crucial to know whether it was the billboard ads you used all around town or simply the pens with unique toll-free numbers (TFNs) that produced an influx of calls and ultimately spiked your ROI. Being able to pinpoint which advertising efforts convert to hot leads will not only help you delegate your department's budget, but it will also send you in the right direction to find more where that came from.

How Are Your Prospects Reaching You?

Imagine you walk to the produce section of your local grocery store but immediately feel the need to take a step back when you see the impossibly large amount of people with carts lining the walls. It's a blur: someone trying to get the last bag of kale, attendants taking too long to restock the bananas. You question your healthy-eating resolution remembering that no one was on the macaroni and cheese aisle when you passed it. As you contemplate leaving, you realize this would be the third year in a row you gave up. You decide to wait a few minutes for it to clear out but eventually become too impatient. Oh well, maybe 2019 will be your year. Cheesecake for dinner, it is!

Your customers feel the same way when they visit your website and can't find a simple way to call you. More than half of mobile users said that not having an easy call option on a website would make them more likely to turn to another brand while becoming frustrated with your brand. Make it easy for your customers to connect with clickable numbers and secure your leads more frequently.

How Can You Use Data to Enhance Marketing Performance?

It's May. As swimsuit season is now here, you realize it's probably too late to pick back up with your forgotten resolutions to achieve a healthy physique, but you decide to do it anyway. Arriving back at the house due to some agonizing side pains after that strenuous run, you look at your smartwatch realizing you've only burned 15 calories... yikes. Time to get back out there! Thank goodness you had on wearable technology to track your progress throughout your run, or you would be back inside binge-watching Netflix.

Now it's time to use that type of granular data to get your business back in shape. Forbes predicts that 2018 will be a year full of technological advancements — one of the main topics of interest is different types of data collection. With only 28 percent of respondents confident that their company is able to measure marketing performance effectively, change is inevitable. If you don't leverage your data smartly in 2018, your organization might not have any resolutions in 2019. You can't make any business resolutions when your business doesn't exist!

Looking for more ways to improve in 2018? Check out these four marketing resolutions.