CX Stories: School Schedules, Running Shoes, Wizardry and Exceptional Customer Care

Everyone knows providing a customer with a great experience increases the chances of repeat business, improved brand opinion and, hopefully, brand loyalty and advocacy. But what is the impact when a brand provides a great experience for the people we cherish most? In this edition of CX Stories, we hear from three COPC Inc. employees who experienced exceptional customer care not for themselves, but for their children.

The first story comes from Kathleen, COPC Inc.’s chief operating officer. Sharing an experience she had with her son’s school, Kathleen discusses the benefits of how the school distributed class schedules and the ease of working with a responsive, helpful counselor.

A Lesson in Great Customer Service– Kathleen Jezierski, Chief Operating Officer, COPC Inc.

Every year, school administrators have to endure the pain of parents and students complaining about their schedules. To get ahead of this, my son’s principal made a robocall to parents about a week and a half before school started, letting us know when schedules would be available online. This action eliminated the need for us to wait in line at “Meet the Teacher Night” to get a hard copy.

This also served to give parents and students early access to the schedules. Knowing this would only raise questions sooner rather than later, he also told us when guidance counselors would be back at school and the best way to contact them, which was via email.

Turns out there were some complications with my son’s schedule. I emailed my son’s guidance counselor with some questions, but did not expect an answer for a couple of days since the counselors weren’t due back yet. Instead, I received an immediate response. My son’s counselor and I emailed back and forth at least six times in one day and his schedule was fixed a week before school started. My interaction with my son’s school was better than what I often experience as a paying customer.

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The next story comes from Cynthia, COPC Inc.’s training and events manager, North America. Cynthia’s daughter needed a pair of running shoes and a Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) employee went above and beyond to make sure she got just what she wanted.

Designer Shoe Warehouse Delivers, Cynthia Lachance, training and events manager, North America, COPC Inc.

My daughter was searching for a specific brand and type of running shoe. We went to Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) because of their incredibly large selection of shoes. My daughter found exactly what she wanted, except they were out of her size. An employee was roaming among the customers and offered to help us, so I told her our dilemma. She double-checked for her size and confirmed they did not have it onsite. She offered other DSW stores in the area that had her size in stock, but we were not up for the trip to another location. Plus, my $10 coupon expired that day!

The employee guided me to the front and explained our situation to one of the cashiers. The cashier sprung into action, informing me that she would:

1. Order our desired shoe/size online for us
2. Apply my coupon to the order
3. Have the shoes shipped directly to my home with no shipping charge

I know DSW is not the only retailer to offer such a service. But, in this age of online shopping, it is so refreshing to visit a brick-and-mortar store and be provided with such exceptional customer care. Instead of walking out empty-handed, we walked out feeling pampered and thrilled that we got the shoes my daughter wanted WITH our coupon discount!

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The final story comes from Cindy, COPC Inc.’s database administrator. Cindy and her daughter visited Universal Studios some time ago. As the result of a small, innocent incident, the two got VIP treatment and a ticket to the front of the line.

Conjuring Up Exceptional Customer Care, Cindy Thomas, database administrator, COPC Inc.

When Universal Studios Orlando opened their Harry Potter ride, Forbidden Journey, we took our daughter, who was 14 at the time and a big Harry Potter fan. While using the restroom, an employee who was cleaning the floor accidentally swiped the toe of our daughter’s shoe with her mop. She apologized, and even though we assured her all was well, she insisted on escorting us out of the bathroom and through the VIP back entrance to the head of the line for the Forbidden Journey ride.

During the whole walk she conducted a proper tour, giving us insider tips and introducing us to other park employees who were just as kind and welcoming. It really made our day, but the biggest impression was on our daughter. All these years later, we still talk about that employee and what a difference she made during our day at the park.

When our daughter graduated high school, she applied at Universal and was assigned to the new Harry Potter ride, Escape from Gringotts. During training she learned that all Universal Studios employees are empowered to do what they can to make a guest’s visit special.

During her summer at Universal Studios, my daughter came home countless times telling us about little extras she had the opportunity to pass along, from photo bombing in her guard costume, to running for butter beer for crying children, to escorting guests through the VIP back entrance. She was thrilled to be a part of so many family vacation memories. In fact, she even took seasonal jobs at Yellowstone National Park and in Anchorage, Alaska during her first two years of college, all so she could continue to delight families in the places they had dreamed of visiting.

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These stories show how powerful exceptional customer care can be. While many may herald an end to brand loyalty as we know it, the single best way to preserve and grow loyalty remains the same — provide customers with surprising, exceptional and memorable experiences.