The Little Things Keep The Big Things Running In Customer Service

It all began when a bolt in my right front brake fell out while I was driving up a hill one evening in San Diego.

Through this situation, I witnessed the kindness of a stranger who stopped on the busy street while talking on his headset to a friend in Singapore to help push my car to the safety of the curb.

I then had a chaotic and frustrating, yet comical, experience with tow truck drivers that ended with my car bumping into a tree.

And now, I write the final post on this!

While I was waiting for the tow truck driver to arrive, not knowing a local brake shop in the area, I hopped on my Yelp app to see who was closest to us with the highest rating.

After calling a few other stores that directed me to Menus or Voicemail, Brake Experts popped up on the list so I gave them a call.

My call was answered after a couple of rings and I was immediately greeted by Daniel, who you could tell was smiling behind the receiver. I explained my situation and asked if I could bring the car in. His first question was asking if I was OK and how long I had been waiting. He said if I needed him to, he’d come out to my location and wait with me. After more talking, he said that he’d have coupons with discounts waiting for me and he’ll be on the lookout for the car. It was like a handshake through the phone and I knew that I had picked the right place.

We get to the shop, after the tow truck dropped us off, and Daniel comes out of the shop to greet us. He looks at the car briefly then takes us in the waiting room to get some information.

We have a casual, friendly discussion about what went wrong with the car and he goes through some possible things that could be wrong with it. He says he’ll call later in the day when it’s ready to go and that he can even pick me up from work as well.

My sister drops me off at work and I spend my day answering customer calls.

5pm rolls around and my car is ready. Daniel spins up to the office, picks me and my dog, Miso, up in my car, and we have a pleasant chat all about customer service all the way back to the shop.

At the shop, he shares with me what was wrong, what he did to fix it, which included a bunch of extras to make sure my car was safe to hit the road again. I didn’t pay a hefty fee and I was on my way in no time.

I now know where I’ll be taking my car for any future repairs and oil changes. It’s nice to know that I have that connection with someone who helped me during a very frustrating time.

But–I find this whole situation so symbolic–one tiny bolt fell out in my brakes, causing my entire car to go to a halt.

It goes to show it’s really the little things that keep the big things running.

Customer service isn’t just about fixing a problem. It’s about the little parts of the experience that make up the big picture. And, making meaningful and lasting connections within that experience is absolutely necessary.

So thank you, Daniel at Brake Experts (@Brake_Experts)!

[custom_author=jenny]