Lauri’s Blog:

Yesterday, as he was cutting my hair, my stylist Jay and I had one of our usual stimulating chats. Jay always seems to have an interesting anecdote or restaurant recommendation but he, instead, shared something that he’d just read: “The difference between having an ordinary life and an extraordinary life is effort.”

We nodded at each other in agreement, in the mirror, and then talked about how that precept applies to business, too: the difference between an ordinary business and an extraordinary business is the effort put into customer service.

A couple of weeks ago I’d ordered a delivery of flowers to be sent to another state, and I’d called days in advance to ensure an on-time delivery.  Well, not only were the flowers delivered 24 hours late, the arrangement was also totally different from the one I’d specified.  To make matters worse, the same thing had happened with my previous order (you know this national company), so I called the customer service number. The recording said the lines were all busy and then it, automatically, disconnected me! That was it. They’d made no effort to get my order right nor deliver it on time nor provide customer service. I would no longer make an effort to give them my business.

Afterward, I heard a funny story that made my experience seem innocuous: A floral arrangement was delivered to a client who had just moved into a new house. The enclosed card read, “Rest in peace.” The client was furious and, realizing it was not the sender’s fault, called the florist to complain. “This is not funny! This is supposed to be a happy occassion - how dare you upset me?” The florist, trying to calm the woman, finally said, ” Mam, I am really sorry about the mistake but keep in mind that the family that just received your flower arrangement at the funeral parlor has a card that reads, “Enjoy your new home!”