A Little Touch of KindnessBeing kind is important in business networking as well as in life. Build customer loyalty with wholesale greeting cards from Send Out Cards

My mother-in-law who is going to be 85 this month lives in a small town, 17,000,  in Oklahoma.  After several heart attacks, she is very frail.  She still lives by herself and manages quite well. This morning when she was feeding her lab, Isabelle, she noticed a large tick on her eyelid.  Knowing that she couldn’t remove the tick by herself, she loaded Isabelle in the car and drove about 12 miles to the vet in the next town.  Mind you, it has been extremely hot in Oklahoma so even mornings are quite warm.

It took 3 people to hold Isabelle down to remove the tick.  When my mother-in-law asked what she owed for the service she was told, “Nothing.” The staff asked if she drove herself and when they found out that indeed she had, they offered to drive her home.  Two staff members went out of their way to drive her back home in her own car, which meant one was following to take the driver back to the vet clinic.  Free care and being chaffeured.  Now that is customer service!

Of course my mother-in-law will be sending a nice “Thank You” note.  Most people would stop there.  However, she is taking it even a step  further.  She is going to send a letter to the Editor of the local newspaper to have this great news story  about this extraordinary customer care published.  This is a win-win situation for everyone. My mother-in-law and Isabelle got back home safely…and the vet clinic will get great publicity.

The vet clinic did this out of the goodness of their hearts.  Whenever you give from the heart to someone without expecting anything in return, that is “true” giving.   Whether you receive your reward on earth or not, that is not important.  The simple act of giving is contagious and will make the world a better place for all.

I challenge you to give from your heart today without expecting anything in return.  Let’s spread goodness and joy in our world.

I heard this story about a year or so ago and it truly touched my heart. Oftentimes we think we are too insignificant or unimportant to make a difference. But it really takes so little to brighten someone else’s day. It really only takes a thought, some kindness and follow through.

Learn how a young grocery bagger with Down’s Syndrome, named Johnny, made his customers feel so special, that they came back to his store every day for more. Not only that, Johnny’s ‘little touch of kindness’ transformed the whole store.

Great service comes from the heart. I’m sure this true, very inspiring story will touch your heart just as it did mine. Is there a Johnny in you?

Watch the 3 minute movie about “Johnny the Grocery Store Bagger.”

This story landed in my inbox not long ago and it really touched my heart. What an amazing story of customer service. I liked this story so much that I wanted to re-post it here to share with all of you….

When I wrote the book, Customer Love, I shared this story about  Captain Denny Flanagan:

As flight cancellations and delays wreak havoc on weary travelers, and planes are fuller than ever, the Wall Street Journal has managed to find a bright spot – United Airlines Captain Denny Flanagan.

On a flight headed your way, there is a pilot who is literally a gift from the heavens. For 21 years now, Flanagan, a former navy pilot, has put the friendly in friendly skies.

With his sense of humor and personal touch, he individually welcomes aboard every passenger on his United Airlines plane.

A father of five, Flanagan has also been known to buy food for planeloads of passengers on delayed flights. He snaps photos of dogs in the cargo hold to show owners their pets are safe and calls the parents of children traveling alone.

“I want to treat them like I treat my family and it works. It’s like hospitality. You stand at the door and you greet people when they come in and you say goodbye on the porch and wave to them,” said Flanagan, who is 56 and lives in Ohio.

His unique brand of hospitality includes sending handwritten notes to frequent flyers and raffling off bottles of wine.

“How ’bout that? A bottle of chilled chardonnay from a pilot,” said a delighted Paul Schroeder, a lucky United passenger.

He has developed quite a following in the air and online. One of the many posts on FlyerTalk.com about Flanagan read: “His effort rubbed off on the crew too, they were great.”

But here, as the late Paul Harvey always said, is…”the rest of the story.”

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