Only in America would they make a national day out of sweetened fried food. National Doughnut Day is a thing and has been for over 75 years and doughnut purveyors have been using this as an easy promotional opportunity to well, sell more doughnuts, duh. But did you know that the day really started from a simple and thoughtful customer service gesture?
National Doughnut Day began on June 7, 1938 when a military doctor was called to an army base to see and examine his wounded soldier patients. On a whim, and as a way to say thank you, he brought eight dozen doughnuts with him. Every patient he saw got a quick exam and a fresh doughnut. One of them, Samuel Geary so liked the idea he created a fundraiser to make the free-doughnuts-to-wounded-soldiers a thing.
But as we are all well aware, doughnuts, like customer service, come in many flavors and everyone has their favorite. So while there is no right answer to the question “what is the best kind of doughnut?” the same holds true for the question “What is the best kind of customer service?” Here are a few varieties to chew on.
Strawberry Frosted Service
Strawberry frosted doughnuts with their pink glaze immediately draw eyes while sitting on bakery shelves. These doughnuts don’t deceive though. They are light and sweet, just like the overly friendly customer service we sometimes encounter in the early stages of a company-customer relationship. Strawberry frosted service is always given with a smile, never angry or argumentative. But it isn’t for everyone. Like too many of the doughnut variety, without substance behind it, strawberry frosted service can become sickeningly sweet for a customer who is in a sour mood. Sweet is good but if promises aren’t kept and customer expectations not met, the strawberry service model can make us feel sick and nauseous.
The Old Fashioned
The old fashion doughnut is the steady standby. The no frills, no surprises doughnut. If you get an old fashion doughnut, you may secretly prepare yourself to be underwhelmed but at least you know exactly what you’re going to get. Probably why there are always a couple of them in every dozen. So while old fashion customer service will be short on style (don’t look to be able to get a twitter response to a complaint in the same calendar year) it is predictable and dependable. It’s the kind of customer service given when the company knows the customer has nowhere else to go. So while the old fashioned is really saying, “This is what I’m giving you, take it or leave it,” at least it delivers dependable, predictable, albeit basic customer service.
The Cronut
The cronut is the latest and greatest donut sensation, breaking the mold of traditional doughnut thinking. Taking major metropolitan U.S. cities by storm, the cronut was named one of the 25 Best Inventions in 2013. A doughnut! While the cronut brings together a couple of bakery styles to create an experience that goes beyond ordinary breakfast expectations, Cronut Customer service does the same thing. It delivers an exceptional customer experience with every interaction. Just like how the cronut made raving fans out of all who have tried it, Cronut Customer service gives customers more than what they are looking for. It surprises us, it exceeds our expectations; it creates a raving fan.
So let’s have some fun. How was your last customer experience like a doughnut? Was it day-old, was it gas station greasy or was it filled with rich pudding goodness?
