Here’s a great story about customer delight that’s well worth sharing. In fact, that’s what lots of people have actually done, which, in itself, highlights one of the benefits of doing it in the first place!
When Jamie Walters received a letter back from her local Harley Davidson outlet in Kewanee, Illinois she thought it would be a receipt for the cheque that she had sent to them for storing her husband Chris’s motorbike while he was being deployed overseas.
To her surprise, it wasn’t a receipt – Instead it was the cheque and a lovely letter from Dennis Packee, the manager of the outlet saying that he did not want payment!
It read….,
Dear Christopher and Jaime,
Enclosed you will find the check you mailed to us regarding the account of Christopher. It is the policy of Reiman’s Harley-Davidson to waive storage fees for our active duty service members who are deployed. It is our honor to keep your bike safe and secure while you provide us with our freedoms. We hope you return to us safe and sound. Until that time, we will store your bike at no charge to you. This is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ for your service to our country.
Sincerely,
C. Dennis Packee
Dealer Principal
It’s a nice example of customer delight and bears many of the 6 things our research has identified as ingredients of customer delight….
- It produces a wow reaction!
- It appears spontaneous or unexpected!
- It’s the personal touch!
- It makes the customer feel valued!
- It’s genuine… and…
- It creates a ‘talking point’!
It’s certainly done that – the letter has gone ‘viral’ and apparently the Harley Davidson team have been contacted by lots of people thanking them, praising them and booking with them! That’s the power of ‘word of mouse’!
You can click here to download a free eBook ‘Customer Delight As Competitive Advantage’. It explores the ingredients of customer delight and how you can make them work for you in your business.
