Unexpected customer service...

So I woke up this morning at the Allen Center on the Northwestern University campus. I try to stay there when I can....it's a wonderful facility--set up for Exec Education. Lots of workspace, great food, and best of all, high speed net connections in your room and NO televisions. A place to work, think, work out, and teach.

The staff are always extremely friendly and helpful, but this morning, I was blown away by what happened when I checked out.

Setting: The Allen Center has a large parking lot out front. After my class last night, I parked out in front, and was told by the person at the registration counter that I would have to move it by 8:00 am since the lot is not reserved for Allen Center guests. He said he could get me paking in a visitors' lot about 5 minutes away. I had a 9:00 meeting with some students and then an 11:00 meeting with a potential client, so that seemed like it would work.

I went to bed, got up, worked out, showered, changed, packed up and checked out at 7:58 am or so, and told a different registration desk person that I needed a place to park my car. There were two women behind the counter, and as soon as I said that I needed a parking pass, one walked out around the counter and headed for the door while the other smiled and said, "No problem, we'll put you in the visitors' lot." I asked if this was the lot past the student union, on the southern edge of campus. She said, yes, that was the one.

She gave me a mirror-hanger with the date onit and said: "Follow Fuschia", which I gathered was the name of the other woman who had gone out the door. When I got outside, Fuschia was in a van waiting for me. She asked me where my car was, and waited as I backed out. She led me through the maze of campus roads to the parking lot, waited while I got out, and drove me to a different building where my meeting was scheduled. She was pleasant, professional....and it was a "wow" event.

Obviously, since I knew more or less where I was going, they could have let me go on my own, and I would not have complained, or felt slighted. But they went beyond the norm, beyond customer service to customer satisfaction. It was great.......and now I've told you! Good news travels.

Do people leave your organization with stories of staff going above and beyond? Worth considering.