Don’t Forget My Birthday

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday and no I’m not fishing for “Happy Birthdays” from our readers.  Sometime yesterday I put on my Customer Experience Goggles (I own the rights to that phrase) and thought about the companies that took the time to wish me a Happy Birthday or better yet, send me some kind of goody.  Without further adieu, here’s what I received:

Phone.com CEO Ari Rabban (@arabban) aka my boss sent me a note wishing me a Happy Birthday.  I also received a card from my friends at Phone.com this morning which was nice.  Hey, the way my boss and coworkers treat me is still customer service right?

Farmers Insurance, my insurance agency sent me a post card wishing me a Happy Birthday.  I would have really, really enjoyed $100 off my auto insurance premiums but the post card was nice.

Redbox (@redbox) sent me a nice email and a code for a free DVD rental.  How cool is that?

Starbucks (@starbuckscard) is the big winner for a few years running now.  They sent me an email wishing me a Happy Birthday and giving me one free drink of my choice.  Maybe it’s just me but I LOVE this about Starbucks.  It doesn’t matter if I have purchased 400 $2 green teas, on my birthday I can order a venti soy chai latte on the house.  Ok I got a tall but still, I love it that they don’t put limits on it.

The moral of my story today is twofold:

1. Remembering your customer’s birthday and wishing them a Happy Birthday creates a Moment of Magic!  It’s a perfect way to create a fantastic customer experience.

2. Acknowledging your customer on their special day is a surefire way to build customer loyalty.

Thank you to these companies for making my birthday a special day!  What companies do you do business with that consistently remember your birthday?  Do any of them offer you a gift?