Your clients will have problems. And sometimes these problems will be your business’ fault, but more often than not they won’t be. So how do you draw the line on what is your responsibility and what is not when it comes to helping them solve these problems? And how can you be part of the solution so your small business comes out a shining star? Brand building begins with that extra special touch you give your customers and helping them find a solution to their problem.
Yesterday my mind was blown by a small business that decided to become part of the solution to my problem.
After a harried morning of working, it was time to check out of my hotel at the Affinia in Chicago. We had a few errands to run before heading to the airport, so we decided to leave my luggage with the hotel bellman. After wrapping up our errands, we jumped in the car to head to the airport, focused on discussing those last few items on our to do list while driving.
30 minutes later we arrived at the airport and realized we had never returned to the hotel to retrieve my luggage. That’s right! Completely my fault. How could I be so forgetful?
With my flight leaving in 70 minutes, there was no time to drive back to the hotel to retrieve my luggage. Sarah suggested we call the hotel and ask them to put my luggage in a cab to the airport. I’m sure this isn’t a normal request and one that could have potential liability ramifications for the hotel should the cab driver not arrive with my luggage.
But the hotel did not bat an eye at this request. They immediately became part of the solution, calling a trusted cab driver they had a relationship with. My luggage safely arrived at the airport in enough time to make my flight. More importantly, the Affinia won me over as a loyal client.
As a small business owner you can’t have a policy or manual on how to respond to a situation like I experienced. But what you can do is have a policy to be part of the solution, whether the problem your client is experiencing is yours or not.