A lot of companies and brands talk about good service (putting the customer first, adding delight, etc). Unfortunately, real-life experiences often fall far short of marketed promises. The truth is: if your service is great, you won’t need to talk about it. Your customers will.
I recently experienced truly great service. I stepped into an unfamiliar coffee shop, failed to notice the ordering instructions, and stood in the wrong line. I should have felt foolish and embarrassed, but the first employee I spoke with didn’t let me. He rearranged the ordering process to accommodate my mistake, as if I was correct all along. A second employee who finished my order acted the same. They didn’t just make me coffee. They helped me have a good day.
Such experiences of good service are powerful. They linger in your memory. You share them with your friends and anyone who will listen. After all, I’m still thinking, and now writing, about my experience. That’s the best advertising (branding, etc) money can’t buy.