3 Pandemic Customer Service Stories to Make You Smile

When you love a company, you go out of your way to recommend it to friends.

You take pride in its products, and you hope others will love them as much as you do. And whether you’re willing to admit it, your emotions prompt you to purchase more freely and more frequently than you probably should.

It’s hard to love a business – but it’s easy to love the people behind the business. And that usually starts with rock-solid customer service.

When the Tough Gets Going . . .

Providing stellar service isn’t so hard – unless you’re overworked, dealing with a cranky client, or stressed by factors beyond your control.

When conditions are perfect, it’s easy to be awesome. But that’s not actually when it matters! When circumstances are challenging, and things get tough, that’s when those customer service STARS really start to shine.

As the world has faced several crisis moments in the last year, many companies and employees stepped up to deliver grand slam service. Here are just three examples of people who went above and beyond during COVID-19.

When libraries around the country closed due to COVID-19, book-lovers, especially children, were heartbroken.

Librarians to the Rescue

But librarians in Utah, including Lauren Tolman, found a way to brighten their customers’ days.

They carefully found and cleaned each book customers requested and then dressed up as famous characters, ranging from Harry Potter to Wonder Woman, to deliver books to customers’ cars, along with games and stickers to keep kids happy and busy. 

One All-Star Agent

As hotels closed and commercial flights were canceled worldwide, a family got stuck in the Dominican Republic.

They frantically called their travel agent at Virtuoso, who looked into every possibility of getting them home. The travel agent finally contacted a private jet company, which was able to pick up the family just seven hours after the hotel had notified the family of the shutdown. As a bonus, the travel agent event got the family a credit for the unused portion of their stay. 

The Selfless Medicine Man

Connecticut pharmacist Manan Dave has been working long hours during the pandemic, but that doesn’t stop him from reaching out to all his customers.

After clocking out at the pharmacy, he delivers medicine to customers who can’t leave their homes and brings hand sanitizer and other medical supplies to local nursing homes and assisted living communities. He takes his role seriously to help others get and stay healthy. 

Engaged Customers Keep Coming Back

Brands are more than the products they sell; they are an embodiment of ideas and values that connect real people.

While you may not be able to charter a private jet, what you can do is listen! Seventy percent of customers say they will continue to business with you if you resolve their complaint, and a whopping 95 percent will do so if you can resolve their problem immediately. And recent data shows that 81 percent of companies with excellent service records are outperforming their competition.

Training employees to spend more time with people may seem like a productivity killer, but it pays off in the long run. Emotional connections with a company are a strong predictor of whether someone will continue as a customer for years to come.

Regardless of price or convenience, engaged customers just keep coming back!