Customer service seems to be one of those parts of a company that can be so hard to get right. In a world where so many companies are too focused on the bottom line that they don’t treat their customers well, it can be relatively easy to stand out from the crowd. It doesn’t matter if you are a big company with a big budget or if you are a smaller brand with limited resources. In fact, smaller companies have the opportunity to connect with their customers more directly than the bigger brands.

Regardless of the size of your company, you should be looking for ways to serve your customers creatively. Creative customer service that surprises the customer helps to make customers for life. This post shares five companies that have gone above and beyond in customer expectations.

1. Jimys Automotive: Handwritten notes

When Xander picked his car up from the mechanic in Streetsboro, Ohio, he definitely wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. This genuine, handwritten thank you card totally blew him away.

Jim has clearly incorporated friendly service into his business model, and from some of the responses on the reddit post, it’s working for him!

“I used to live in Streetsboro and I know exactly who that is. He’s a good man, stay with him!”

Giving a handwritten note to a customer really says a lot. But if you feel that would take up all the time of your customer service reps, you can always outsource it. MailLift.com specialises in writing and sending handwritten notes to your customers and they’ll even send it from your location!

2. Trader Joe’s: Delivering the groceries

One particularly wintery day in Pennsylvania, an 89-year-old WWII veteran was snowed in and without food for the day. His daughter phoned around to different stores to find one that would deliver. Even though Trader Joe’s doesn’t usually deliver, they would gladly deliver given the circumstances.

Not only did they deliver, but they didn’t charge for either the delivery or the food! That is a prime example of going above and beyond for the customer. More companies should be allowing their employees to meet the needs of customers even when it’s outside the bounds of usual operation practices.

3. Amazon: Wireless tech support

For the last few years, Amazon has been delivering tech support to their Kindle users using a feature they dubbed ‘Mayday’. It’s as if the support technician was standing right next to you, since you can see them via live video on your screen and they can see, control, and annotate your device’s screen.

With an average response time of less than 10 seconds, customer’s queries and difficulties can be solved within a minute. On their website, Amazon says, “We strive to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, and this is just one more way we are working to achieve that goal.” Mayday sounds like a great creative way to help reach that goal!

4. Nordstrom: Looking for diamonds

One story comes up over and over again with Nordstrom’s reputation for outstanding customer service. It’s not because it’s the only one out there, but because it shows the level of dedication that the staff of this department store have towards serving their customers.

A woman had lost the diamond from her wedding ring while trying on clothes and was searching for it on her hands and knees. After the staff realised what the matter was, they stopped at nothing until it was found. That eventually meant sifting through the vacuum cleaner bags to find it mixed in with the dirt and dust.

Karen McKibbin, president of Nordstrom Canada, says that, “What it boils down to is we give employees complete freedom to take care of the customer. And we say, if you’re going to make a mistake, let’s make sure you make it in the customer’s favour. ”

5. Morton’s Steakhouse: Airport delivery

Have you ever had a craving for some good food? Peter Shankman tweeted out to Morton’s Steakhouse as he boarded his flight in Florida jokinglyasking for a porterhouse to be delivered to the Newark airport 2 hours later.

Peter Shankman

✔@petershankman

Hey @Mortons - can you meet me at newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours?  K, thanks. :)

30

4:08 PM - Aug 17, 2011

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Not only did they deliver on the request, but it was delivered by a guy in a tuxedo along with “an order of Colossal Shrimp, a side of potatoes, one of Morton’s famous round things of bread, two napkins, and silverware.”

Shankman says that “customer service is no longer about telling people how great you are. It’s about producing amazing moments in time, and letting those moments become the focal point of how amazing you are, told not by you, but by the customer who you thrilled.”

When a company delivers on a request that was made with zero expectations, the customer will be blown away and will tell everyone how awesome you are.

6. Insert your company name here

Hopefully these stories helped to inspire you to think creatively when it comes to serving your customers. Our team at SupportNinja would love to help you meet those goals — let us know how we can help today! In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Well done is better than well said.”