I recently had the most interesting conversation with a client around customer loyalty and retention. We chatted loosely about our personal experiences and excellent strategies we encountered.
I was quickly reminded of a fantastic incident I had years earlier, mentioning that I had stayed with the company ever since. My colleague was impressed and asked me how long ago it was? I realised it was 15 years ago to the month. And yes, I am still a loyal customer.
They were really impressed and were curious to hear more.
It was summer 2009, the weather was magnificent and I was hosting a large family barbeque in the garden. A couple of days earlier I had decided I would invest in a “beer fridge” to keep drinks cold in a nearby shed. So, I popped down to a large electrical store that is local to me at lunchtime on the Friday.
The shop was quiet and I got talking to a very friendly young man. I explained I was looking for a basic yet reliable fridge. Adding that I definitely needed a model that was in stock as I wanted to take it home that day. The shop assistant was helpful and we quickly agreed on the right one.
As we were chatting, I mentioned my car was just outside the door. In my innocence, the man gently explained the fridge would not fit in (I had a small car at the time). He paused briefly, then asked if I lived locally? When I nodded yes, he said “give me a minute” and ran off to his manager. He came back smiling and proceeded to say that as they were quiet, he would bring the fridge up to my house. At first I hesitated as I didn’t want to put him out, but he kindly persisted.
He bundled the fridge into the back of his car and followed me home. When we arrived, he carried the fridge to the back of the house and neatly installed it in place. He also insisted in taking the cardboard away and wished me a fun weekend.
Needless to say, I was thrilled and wanted to give him a tip. Initially he resisted and said he was just happy to assist. Still, I won that battle and was adamant he took the money as I was truly grateful.
I was blown away for days by this amazing young man, so I decided to write to the head-office relaying my tale. Whilst also requesting they do not punish him for leaving the shop. Thankfully, they were delighted and asked for my address. A few days later I received a lovely thank you note and voucher. Funny enough, two weeks later an appliance broke so I headed straight back to the store and spent the voucher plus more.
What stays with me most about this experience was the way every step of the interaction played out. Although the store has a number of shops, everything felt personalised. I was treated as a valued customer rather than a number.
The young man listened, he was helpful, kind and very humble. It was lovely to see his manager support him in his decision to deliver the fridge that day. Then head office responded so gracefully, showing their heartfelt gratitude.
Some could say I was lucky or that I was brave to trust someone to come to my house. Yet, I believe that sometimes we need to think outside the box and lead with our heart.
On a serious note, I still shop in that store and will always go there first before anywhere else.