SiteCrafting Blah Blah Blog
May. 24, 2007 at 5:32pm
Exceptional Service Personified
Why Les Schwab will never go out of business
I know, I know. We all know how great Les Schwab is (which is ultimately the point of this entry). Where else do you pull into a parking lot and have a guy (or girl) throw their tools down and sprint to your car to see how they can help you?
Before I begin, I should set the stage. I get home from work Wednesday, and my wife tells me that the check tire pressure light is still on in the car. I've been "solving" this problem by continually adding air to the tire - not a great long term solution, I'll admit. It's kinda like adding water to a lake with a leaking dam. Anyway, we are scheduled for a vacation tomorrow that involves driving, so I decide it's better to take care of it for real at this point.
So, there's no real question about where to go. I decide to head over to the Lacey Les Schwab center. I pull in the lot, and notice it's 6:08pm. I am relieved to see that all the bays are open. A guy comes flying out of nowhere to see how he can help. After talking with him, I head into the customer service waiting area to check in and notice that the hours posted on the door show they're already closed. I feel horrible, but decide to pay attention to the service I receive "after hours".
In the lobby I see five people and an employee on the phone. I overhear her say, "Well, actually, we closed at 6:00, but we're still here and you need help so come on down".
While I wait, I decide to settle in to watch and learn. I plan to pay very close attention to see what is going on around me, to see if I can detect any frustration from employees that are still taking customers 15 minutes after they closed. Below are a few quotes I heard while I was there:
From the service bays - "Anyone needing something to do needs to jump on bay 1 for a flat repair, bay 2 needs rotation..."
From the service bays - "Let's make sure we keep our areas clean"
From the employee on the phone -"You need directions here, take yada, yada yada...no, it's OK we're still here and glad to help".
Not once -- not once, did I hear someone complain about the fact that they should already be closed or that they had already worked a full day.
At 6:38, 30 minutes after I arrived, my car was ready. "No charge, just please consider us for tires next time you need them."
All my cars have Les Schwab tires on them. If yours don't, they need to. I wonder if we should start giving away free beef with our websites? :)
Service to me is paramount, and we at SiteCrafting continue to strive for service perfection. Les Schwab is a model to all of us seeking to earn a living in a service business. I'd love to hear about a great service experience, so please share.
Posted in Deep Thoughts, Testimonials by Brian Forth
Comments (3)
awesome story... in fact, exactly what i needed to today to remind me that web development is very much service related.
1 | Left by bryan | Jun. 1, 2007 at 8:27am
Mark says:
As fate would have it, a 2-inch screw met one of my tires on my way home from church yesterday. This morning will find me at everyone's favorite popcorn-popping tire repair shop.
2 | Jun. 4, 2007 at 6:35am
this is a great story about a company that obliviously gets it: great service inspires customers to spread the word.
And no amount of advertising can have the impact of hearing this kind of story from a customer.
3 | Left by Hasan | Jun. 4, 2007 at 12:59pm