I wanted to highlight a couple of really good customer service experiences I’ve had in the past few days right here in my hometown of Bellevue, TN.

These examples are not about heroic efforts made by store personnel – they are stories of plain-old, everyday, great customer service; the kind that keeps people coming back again and again.

Story #1: Nashville Pet Products, Highway 70S, Bellevue, TN

When you pull up to the store they open the door for you – and when you’re ready to leave, they carry your bags out to the car.

And if that weren’t enough, they also know a lot about dogs and cats and carry quality products. I recently adopted a puppy. The only other dog I’ve had was when I was a kid, so there is a ton of stuff I don’t know about dogs. Like how much to feed, what to feed, what kind of collar, leash, toys, snacks – the list is endless.

The folks at Nashville Pet Products are a God-send. Sure its really nice of them to open the door as I drive up, making me feel more than welcome, but that person who opens the door is also standing by to help me with my shopping. I don’t have to search for an associate who is on their way to a break or some other task, or is otherwise too busy to stop and really listen to me. I ask a million questions -some quite stupid, I’m sure – and they patiently answer them all. They know what they are selling and they can explain the benefits or detriments of one product over another.

And dog food is heavy, so I appreciate the help out to the car. They can offer this personal service because they are not a huge store. They also have ample staffing – yes, even in these tough economic times – so there is someone there who can give you his/her undivided attention. How rare is that these days?

Story #2: Walgreens, Highway 70S @ Sawyer Brown Road, Bellevue, TN

This location of the Walgreen’s chain operates more like a “mom n’ pop”, mainly due to one, friendly, on-the-ball cashier.

I don’t know her name, but I do know her face. More importantly, she knows my face – or at least does a great job pretending to! This lady (I vow to find out her name and will update this post when I do…) is great at the up-sell and never fails to point out sale and “buy-one-get-one-free” items.

I almost walked out of there with one fleece blanket for $2.99. When I got up to this wonderful cashier, she said, “You know these are buy-one-get-one-free don’t you?” I didn’t know. Didn’t see the sign. “I’ll hold it here, you go get another one,” she instructed me. I did. When I got back she said, “You should try these new snacks I just put out,” pointing to a small display next to the register. “They’re really good, and only a dollar.” By now, I’m doing whatever she says. I bought ‘em. They were really good.

In my experience, most retail cashiers – especially in stores like Walgreens, Walmart, Target, etc. – don’t take their jobs too seriously. They may smile and say, “Have a nice day” as you’re walking out, but where’s the value in that?

---

I’ll say it again. It doesn’t take an act of Congress to give great customer service. It just takes a little thought and a little effort. But the key is that your employees have to care…that’s the hard part.

In my next post I’ll talk about ways you can get your employees to care enough to give great customer service – after all, it could mean life or death for your business.