Service Review: Jimmy John’s

Last week, I needed a break from my nemesis, a computer that usually works against me rather than with me.

A sandwich sounded good, so I ventured out to Jimmy John’s on West Jefferson for a quick lunch.

I’ve eaten there many times, and as in the past, I was greeted with friendly faces and polite, efficient service.

The cashier took my order promptly, and my sandwich was ready before I had time to get a drink. (I guess the slogan “Subs so fast you’ll freak” really is true!)

When I grab a quick bite at lunch, I’m not looking for a deep, meaningful customer experience. My only expectation is for a quick, tasty meal, and Jimmy John’s delivered.  

However, something different happened during this visit that really stood out.

I noticed a female employee busily straightening chairs and bussing nearby tables. All the while, she was smiling and quickly interacting with some of the customers.

Moments later, she removed the empty bag of chips from my table and asked me what I was drinking.

I told her and she grabbed my cup and asked if I would like some more ice. She walked away and quickly returned with a full glass of Diet Coke.

She even retrieved a lid and straw for my walk back to the office!

Then, just as quickly as she had approached me, she smiled, told me to have a nice day, and then walked away.

Proactive. Thoughtful. Helpful.

She turned a routine experience into something more.

The smallest gestures sometimes leave the biggest impacts, and you can bet I’ll be back for another Jimmy John’s sandwich!

This experience: 5 Magnets

Service Review: Brown House Bakery

A quick scan of the website for the Brown House Bakery is enough to send your salivary glands into overdrive.

But the pleasure of this wonderful New Hampshire bakery is that their customer service is every bit as enjoyable as their incredible brownies, cookies, & cakes.

For being so organized in other areas of my life, I’m always scrambling for birthday gifts at the last second. So I’m often that pain-in-the-butt customer who calls a business and asks if it can deliver its wares in ludicrously short periods of time.

For my dad’s recent birthday, I found myself in the usual bind. It was Tuesday afternoon. His birthday was on Friday. I hadn’t done anything. He lives in New Jersey. Trouble.

With guilt quickening my online search, I stumbled upon the Brown House Bakery’s website and immediately knew that my dad would love their food.

But could they get something there in time?

I called and spoke to Cheryl and explained my time crunch, not expecting much sympathy.

Cheryl was delightful. She was scheduled to bake the item I wanted later that afternoon, and she worried that it wouldn’t arrive in time.

So she offered to send my dad an assortment of other items that she already had prepared.

As I later learned, she included many different treats, and individually wrapped and labeled them all.

And even though my order required this additional work (and last-second work, at that), she still charged me as if I had ordered a single item.

Best of all, her urgency to help me out resulted in my dad’s goodie box arriving on Thursday, a whole day early.

Cheryl, you are the personification of excellent customer service for over-delivering to please an anonymous, late-planning customer like me. Thank you!

This experience: 5 Magnets

Service Review: Louisville Science Center

The desk associate at the Louisville Science Center could have just handed us our IMAX tickets and said, “Have a nice day.”

He could have ignored the fact that the movie was seconds from starting and that we were 3 floors away from the entrance.

He could have thought, “It’s not my problem they’re running late.”

He could have done the bare minimum (just hand us our tickets), and went about his day.

Instead, he proactively called a co-worker at the IMAX theater and informed her that there were two more viewers on their way up. He even called us “guests.”

He never told us he was doing this. If I hadn’t overheard his conversation, I never even would have known.

He just did it.

When you start going above and beyond out of habit, you know you’re offering outstanding customer service, and it's clear that this organization has created a culture dedicated to making customers smile.

This experience: 5 Magnets

Service Review: LG&E

[editor’s note: one of our service evaluators is so passionate about his work that he voluntarily wrote this to express his gratitude for a tremendous experience with LG&E. Note the hallmarks of great service; it’s effective, personable, proactive, and fun. Sort of like the evaluator himself.]

Upon returning home after work one night, we noticed our kitchen reeked of natural gas.  Putting safety first, we immediately left the house.  Luckily for me, I already had LG&E's phone number programmed into my cell phone and was able to call from outside.

After going through just one automated phone menu, I spoke with a warm, friendly, and knowledgeable after-hours dispatcher.  Although she had to gather a variety of information and read several advisory messages that she's probably gone through thousands of times, she remained compassionate and concerned during the interchange.  I asked about how long the response time might be, and she said that with gas leaks, they usually respond quickly.  

She was right -- I didn't wait long, which I was thankful for as I was standing outside in the cold.

LG&E needs to know that their man, Dan, is a really great with customers.

I had never had a major gas leak and was concerned about it.  But Dan's professional, yet playful, attitude quickly put me at ease.  

When I asked about the noises his detection device was making, he replied, "Oh, that's just the idiot sound.  It tells me it's on."  Dan and his device, which he kept calling Steve, checked every connection in my kitchen and cellar until he finally discovered the source -- the stove.  

Boy howdy!  

I think Dan went out of his way for me.  Our cellar is not easy to navigate, and we joked a little about how to get in and out of it.  I suppose he could have called for backup, but he went down and back anyway.  

When the time came to start checking the stove, he was always took care when moving the unit or removing parts. After finding the leak and explaining to me that my stove was done for, Dan offered to help me move it outside, which we did.  

Finally, before making sure the gas line was properly plugged, he gave me some tips and advice to use when getting the new stove and flex line installed.  

Dan: I'm thankful you were on duty that night. I hope you and Steve are doing well these days. 

This experience: 5 Magnets