Exceeding Customers Expectations, It’s a People Thing

Fernando, Jon, Ronnie & Todd. One waiters, one electrician, along with a husband & wife photographer team, what on earth could they have in common? They are all really good at their job, but really that doesn’t get them in a blog post. No, they are great at their jobs and make you glad they are the ones you are working with.
Some examples of what sets the folks apart:

• Fernando works at a place with cinnamon ice cream, it’s really good, and you get it as an included desert on the kids menu. One time they ran out, so they went to the store to get some, they got lost so I ended up with vanilla, but how many waiters would send out for ice cream? A day came when my stomach required more food than the kids menu offered, did I stop getting cinnamon ice cream, no, from time to time a dear friend would surprise my table with the treat. That 75 cent investment has kept me a loyal customer of that chain.
• Jon worked nights on my parents remodel, he took the time to do the job right and safe; to explain things to my dad, how different decisions would effect things. He did the job, but made us glad it was him doing the work, because we were glad he was around.
• Ronnie & Todd took the photos at our wedding, they were honest and forthright about their photography philosophy, casual, journalistic, not a lot of posed shots, but still getting the ones that matter. My initial impression had me concerned that their casualness would register as sloppy to me. But after sitting down and having a conversation with Ronnie, asking some very forward questions and getting some very straight answers, I was excited they were going to be our photographers. Our guest loved our photographers. They were great at the wedding, great at the reception, followed up with our photos and they looked great. They did a great job with the kids in our wedding party, using umbrellas to get them to look at the camera. OK yes I too had some fun playing around with the umbrella with the monkeys on it. And they did something else:
  Out of the corner of my eye I saw them tearing one of our programs. (I was really a little put off by it by that but it was my wedding day, so I ate some cake and ignored it.) When we got home we found one of the umbrellas, one with the monkeys on it, as we were trying to figure out how to return it, we found that ripped program tucked in the umbrella and written on it “For some day when you have little monkeys.”

The point is this, these companies didn’t impress me with policies, although they do need good policies. Good policies meet expectations, but to exced them you have to hire great people, who go above and beyond the call of duty every day, for every customer.