It always makes me smile when I hear about an example of extraordinary service.  I believe that, when we go above and beyond in serving customers, it always comes back to us many times over.

This example came to me during a Jazzercise class. My instructor, Colleen, has a sister who has MS.  She is in a scooter and has a van equipped with a lift. It is a challenge for her to get around, but she does well with her van. Until the lift breaks.

It did so a couple of weeks ago. The company who installed the lift was already out of business. What to do?

She was driving down the street and stopped at a muffler shop. Why she chose that shop, we are not sure. She pulled her van into the handicapped parking and sat there for a few minutes. One of the store's employees came out to see if she might be of help. Colleen's sister explained the problem.

 The employee got the owner who examined the lift, went across the street to buy the necessary parts and fixed the lift.

 He refused to charge her for any of this. 

In case you are wondering, it was Rausch Muffler in Broken Arrow, OK.  Those readers close enough to BA who need a muffler, I hope you'll go see them. But, this story was told in front of 30 women. How many of them do you think have repeated this story of extraordinary service?  A lot. Women talk. And, they appreciate businesses who take care of them, who are honest with them, and who have a heart for their customers. Whatever the cost of the parts and labor expended in fixing this lift, the owner of Rausch Muffler has been rewarded many times over with positive word-of-mouth,

When we go the extra mile in solving our customers' problems, it will pay us dividends. "The fastest way to get what you want is to help other people to get what they want."