[dropcap]I[/dropcap]’m just going to throw this out there and you tell me if I’m wrong. Good customer service skills is like a scarce commodity…nonexistent and hard to find.

Most corporations, maybe even yours has an innate ability to care more about the sale than the human behind the purchase.

What a shame!

I love great customer service and I’m sure you’re no different. [TWEET THIS]

Who wants to be a can that’s continually kicked down the street?

I know what you're thinking, but Nate, without sales I have no business and you're right. If your goal is a highly stressed in your face, I-only-care-about-one-off-sales-and-not-customer-retention, then numbering your customers and counting the dough may be an okay strategy.

Not a very good one but maybe one that can “last.”

But who would want to work this way? Having good customer service skills will make working enjoyable, fun and you’ll build lasting relationships with your customers.

I recently had a damn near perfect customer service experience and it only cost the company $4.49.

My burger joint experience

Just recently I decided to try a new local restaurant called BurgerFi.

It’s a nice little restaurant where the atmosphere is casual and the air smells like grease. Yum!

But of course eating like this is on occasion, right? 

I go up to the counter and order 3 traditional burgers (of course not all of them are for me) and proceed to pay. They give me a gadget that vibrates when your meal is ready and we go sit down.

About 10 minutes later the little gadget still hadn't gone off. This annoyed me and was way too long for 3 simple burgers.

I go to the register and see my order sitting on the counter. Visibly frustrated I directed my attention to the manager. I told him that their little gadget didn't go off and there's only 2 burgers on the tray and I ordered 3.

I pull out the receipt to show him that as a customer I’m always right. But only 2 burgers were on the ticket. Yikes! Now at this point he probably thinks I’m full of you know what but I told him that I ordered 3. There must have been a miscommunication.

Obviously, right?

He said he'd take care of it and had another burger tossed on the grill. I went to the register to pay and not shortly after he handed me the missing burger.

He said not to worry about paying for the burger, it was on the house.

Now, you may be thinking it’s only a $4.49 burger but its MUCH more than that.

Regardless if I was lying or not he was still willing to listen to his customer and make things right.

This manager, who  is a reflection of the corporation had good customer service skills.

By this simple, low-cost gesture he acquired a lifelong customer. And did I mention I’m marketing for them as well. For Free!

Pretty neat how that works.

Lesson to be learned

You see, the story above isn't about how I got a burger free. It’s about how great this small burger joint, BurgerFi made me feel.

In that moment I felt special, cared about and genuinely appreciated.

Most companies forget that it’s often the small things that matter most to you.

I know this because I’m that person as well.

If we can learn one thing from my friends at BurgerFi, it’s to make people who you work with feel special, because they are.

Have you had a positive customer service experience? How did the company have good customer service skills? Comment below. Mention the company as well.