Client service tips from Paul Alisauskas – Pace Law Firm: Think one person can’t ‘make a difference’? I attended a client service seminar this week during which I heard the following story:
The employees of a small independent grocery outlet had a customer service training session provided by an outside supplier. A young man named John, who was afflicted with Down Syndrome and whose job it was to bag groceries, went home that night and thought about how he could ‘make a difference’.
John decided to print out and sign small strips of paper containing “John’s Thought for the Day,” which he would then place in the grocery bag of every customer he saw.
The effect snowballed. Everyone in the store started thinking about how
they could ‘make a difference.’ Within six months, total sales at the
store were up more than 50%.
Within a couple of weeks, the manager of the store noticed that the line-ups at the checkout lines where John was working were continually two or three times longer than any of the other lines. When he asked a few customers why they were waiting longer for checkout service, he found out about John’s ‘initiative.’
Turns out, some customers were coming into the store especially to get John’s daily ‘message’ and, more importantly, were telling their friends about it. Business at the store was up noticeably as a result.
Initially, the store manager hadn’t known about John’s effort to make a difference. He was so amazed by John’s initiative, he held an employee meeting and told everyone about it. The effect snowballed. Everyone in the store started thinking about how they could ‘make a difference.’ Within six months, total sales at the store were up more than 50%.
So, do you still think ‘one person can’t make a difference?’
What’s your difference?