Every Conversation Matters

This one is for you, Mom. I witnessed an amazing display of customer service this morning. It started out as a “quick” trip to my local CVS. I had just ordered food and wanted to grab a few household items on the way to the diner. My intent was to be in-and-out in a few minutes. That didn’t happen. The customer in front of me in line was an octogenarian with a checkbook in hand.?

How many times have you gotten caught behind the “little old lady” with the checkbook? My mother would normally pay cash, but it had to be exact change. She’d pick through her pocketbook for pennies and dimes, oblivious to the backlog of customers behind her. I often witnessed cashiers roll their eyes or even treat her rudely. That’s not what happened this morning.

The clerk’s name was Garrett. I’ve never seen him before at this store, but I hope he works there for a long time to come. He was patient. He was kind. She tried to use paper coupons and they didn’t work. The computer didn’t want to take her check. There was even some confusion when he asked her for the area code to her phone number. I’m old enough to remember when we didn’t have those.

Garrett is much younger than I am. I’d guess maybe late twenties at best. For those of you who think there’s no hope for his generation, think again. The young man was obviously raised well, respected his elders, and never displayed any impatience as the line grew behind me. Even further, his example set a tone for everyone else. There was no grumbling. Instead, there were smiles and even a tear or two.

Obviously, I was moved enough by the situation that I needed to write about it. Garrett proved to me this morning that every conversation matters. He did more than just make her day. He inspired me and reminded everyone else in line that good service matters. In a world where we’re always rushing, he slowed down to care for another human being. I’d really like to see that more often. ??

How to level-up your customer experience?

With more choices than ever before, customers can easily and quickly move on to one of your competitors if they have a negative experience with your brand. That’s what makes customer experience one of the most critical components for building a successful business. Consumer brands, especially small businesses, must deliver a seamless, positive experience to keep existing customers coming back—and to attract new ones ... Read More

A New Critical Metric for Financial Advisors: Client Engagement

The pandemic shook the world in unprecedented ways, impacting global economies and altering the way businesses operate. It also changed clients’ lives and preferences in permanent ways. Clients are much more digital and have much higher expectations compared to pre-pandemic. However, most advisory firms are still catching up, with client portals and mobile apps that don’t engage. The scale and speed of these changes and the challenge of meeting them have made client engagement such a hot topic now ... Read More