Empowered

[The story]

David’s had a coffee machine at home since Covid lockdown days. He enjoys his cup of home-made coffee (well maybe more than one), each day. One morning, just 3 months after buying the machine, when attempting to make his coffee, the machine made a very strange noise, and the coffee dripped out very slowly. He checked the obvious (like whether a pod was stuck somewhere), rebooted it, but no luck. He called his local coffee retail outlet, and they told him to bring the machine in. He asked how long he’d have to be there, and they said – not long. Yeah right, he thought.?

When he took the coffee machine in that afternoon, the coffee retailer’s team member asked a few key questions about what David was experiencing / what the machine was doing. She then went out to the back with the machine, returning with a new machine, still in the box. She explained that whatever it was, will be fixed over the coming few days, but to ensure David didn’t miss his coffee each day, here was a new machine for him to take home.

David assumed he was to bring it back when his machine had been successfully repaired, but was told no – the new machine was all his. The problem with the old machine was theirs, not David’s.

[How the customer felt]

David felt amazed, overjoyed, and respected. He was amazed that the retailer took immediate accountability. He was overjoyed that his daily coffee making would not be interrupted. He felt his time was absolutely respected.?

[The underlying contributors to these experiences]

What has contributed to this coffee retailer providing this awesome experience?

1.?????Their culture – it’s simply how things happen in their company. They are empowered to put the customer first.

2.?????Their policies – the policy is to replace first and repair second.

3.?????Their skills – the team member had impeccable interpersonal skills, she was empathetic, listened well, and communicated the outcome very clearly

[The business impact]

David has told everyone he knows about this amazing experience. Not only that, but he has bought more pods, and bought a new machine for his parents too. He is an advocate for life.

[Close]

One might ask if the coffee retailer has consciously empowered their people, or this happened by luck. It’s hard to imagine this is a once-off, or just one amazing team member. This retailer has indeed put in place a culture, policies and support for their people, that results in an amazing customer experience. As a result, they are reaping the rewards financially, and from a brand advocacy / reputational perspective.?