Showing posts with label customer service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label customer service. Show all posts

Service Superstar Chris Campa and the Zombie Apocalypse

Service Superstat Chris Campa (and me!)
at the Donut Bar in San Diego



Imagine a zombie apocalypse.

 

It’s on.

 

End-of-day mayhem everywhere.

 

You run out into the open grid of chaos and see a Hummer approaching from the distance. It’s full of humans like you fleeing for their lives. Your heart beats with hope.

 

In panicked desperation, you frantically wave your arms, praying they will slow down and let you jump in.

 

(End scene)

 

Back to reality.

 

In a zombie apocalypse, would strangers save you?

As they fled, would they risk their lives and stop for you?

 

What if they'd interacted with you- even for a moment- before the upheaval?

 

How had you treated them?

 

In the apocalypse, would they see your face and associate it with negativity (e.g., “Don’t stop, that person’s a jerk...drive faster!”)

 

Or would they remember that you were kind and, in turn, slam on the brakes, open the door, and pull you aboard?

 

If you’re 21-year-old Chris Campa from San Diego, they’d definitely stop and even high-five you as you hopped in.

 

Why? Because Chris proactively creates his zombie apocalypse good karma every day.

 

I met Chris at The Donut Bar, where he works. This magical little (donut) hole-in-the-wall has two of my favorite things on the menu: designer donuts and tasty mimosas. Visiting the Donut Bar is part of my San Diego routine; I go there often.

 

On every visit, without fail, a tall, vibrant young man at the cash register, Chris, greets me with the warmest welcome and biggest smile. Every time.

 

He doesn’t save his sunshine just for me. Chris greets everyone this way. No matter how busy the shop is (it’s always busy), and no matter what mood they bring, every customer is greeted with genuine kindness.

 

Chris's love of life and people is so authentic that it’s impossible to ignore. This guy radiates positivity. When paying for my usual order on a recent San Diego adventure, I asked Chris to tell me his secret. I wanted in—how did he stay so upbeat? I was ready to order whatever he was selling.

 

Without pause, he told me his story about the zombie apocalypse.

 

In the story he created, he wonders if the Hummer would stop because they remembered he was a good guy, or would they speed on by? He wants to be sure they'd stop. He treats everyone with kindness...you just never know when your paths will cross again.

 

Obsessed with great customer service and now intrigued with him, I took a chance and asked if I could interview him after his shift. Lucky me, he agreed and later that day, Chris wowed me with his customer service secrets. No surprise, he has no secrets, just a consistent way of showing up for others, regardless of whether he’s on the clock.

 

Here are more highlights from the interview, including the audio clip of him telling the zombie story in his own words.

 

 

On energy:

“Love is a limitless currency. I want to give as much as I can.”

 

On happiness:

“Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone smile!”

 

(I nudged him a bit here, and he admitted that being the cause of that smile, especially if someone isn’t having a good day, makes him pretty darn happy, too.)

 

On rude customers and disappointments:

“People can be mean for a minute, but life is still awesome.”

 

When asked if he ever has a bad day:

“Honestly, no! I love my life. It’s like this, if you have $100K and someone steals two bucks, does that ruin the whole stash? No way! You still have so much!”

 

Three words he’d like others to use to describe him:


·  Open-minded  

·  Kind-hearted

·  Fun

 

Pet peeves:

People making others feel less than, bullying of any kind, .... and he admitted he gets bugged when the light turns green and people don’t go. (Proof that he’s human!)


He's a natural-born leader:

Chris has been demonstrating leadership skills since he was a kid. As he tells it, he’s always had the ability to scan a room, find the person who felt like they didn’t belong, and get them connected with others. He told me about an experience that was worthy of a John Hughes film.


When he was in ninth grade and stumbled upon a foreign exchange student, Sungjae, hiding alone in the boy’s restroom stall, eating his paltry chicken-wing lunch. Chris immediately took him to the cafeteria to sit with him and his friends. Fast forward: Sungjae became one of Chris’s close friends, he became quite popular, stayed at the school, mastered English, and graduated successfully. The principal of the school even acknowledged Chris for doing what he’d been unsuccessful with—helping Sungjae fit in and thrive. WOW! (He was 12 or 13 at the time!)

 

In summary, I learned so much from Chris! What a phenomenal, inspirational person! I can hardly wait to see what he does with the rest of his life. This guy is going places, and he's creating tidal waves of positivity along the way.


For now, in the spirit of Halloween, whether you are in a customer-facing position or not, when the zombies come, let's be like Chris. Let’s be the kind of people that strangers would save in a heartbeat. While we each still have a heartbeat.


Because we just never know. 🧟‍♂️


Hear it in his words! Listen to Chris tell the zombie story here:

Zombie Interview with Chris Campa


Head Tilt #61: The making of a super-fan

CoSo and me in February 2021– right after his "adoption." 

I've wanted to share this customer service story for a while now. 


But I've hesitated. It involves some rule-breaking and I didn't/don’t want to get the company or the employees who made it possible in trouble. Even though the organization might be revealed in the photo above or descriptions below, let's keep this between us.😉


Gather ‘round, it’s customer service storytime! 


During the pandemic, I ran. 

And I ran. 

And then I ran a bit more. 


Running kept me somewhat sane. 


Our little beach town was empty during Covid. No tourists visited. Locals kept to themselves. Everything was quiet. 


During that time I went on some of the best runs of my life. I ran the whole town. I found courses I knew of but had never explored. 


One of these paths took me past the amusement park in our city. It quickly became one of my favorite runs. A mile into it, I'd pass the arcade. In stark comparison to its normal joyful presence, the arcade was dark, silent, and empty. 


Clearly visible behind the locked, sliding glass entry doors were two large bags stuffed with game prizes. Teal and pink sharks smooshed together in these transparent plastic traps. Each held a slice of pizza or a donut. Some faced forward, some backward, some upside down. 


They represented a paused world. 😔


For months, no matter how fast or far I ran on that particular path, seeing those animated, happy faces gave me an instant boost of energy. I pretended that two of the sharks in particular cheered me on whenever I passed. 


Eventually, with no end to the pandemic in sight, I decided I needed to bring one of them home. 


I set my plan into motion by checking my connections on LinkedIn. I direct-messaged a leader in the company, but didn't hear back. Not to worry— I knew it was a long shot. At least it was a start. 


Next, I made a call to my good friend who had just retired from the company. I explained my story and asked her who I should call. First, as only a good friend can say, she let me know that she thought I was weird. Ha! No surprise there! 🤪 Then, she gave me a name and number. 


I was hopeful.


I called right away and presented my request.


Nope. He didn't have the authority to make that happen. 


He directed to another team member, though. 


I called that person and left a message. 


I didn't hear back for a while.


I began to feel discouraged. This was stupid. They had way more important things to do. They were strategizing ways to make their business survive and keep their employees on the payroll...and I was trying to rescue a stuffed animal. 😳


(Just reading that last line makes me laugh!)


Eventually, I tried the contact again and got through. I told her my Covid running story and how the arcade prize sharks had cheered me on and cheered me up during tough times. I asked if I could buy one. I knew this was a policy violation: Prizes were to be won, not purchased. The arcade was closed indefinitely though, and maybe the rules had changed. She said she would get back to me. 


And guess what? When she called me back the answer was 


YES!


Because of these unparalleled times, the company would make an exception. 🎉 🥳 🎢


We arranged the date, price, and pick-up spot. Just in case I had a choice, I mentioned which shark I wanted (pink with donut, thankyouverymuch). 


Only a few days later, I stepped foot on their property and left with three things: 

  • my giant pink, donut-holding shark
  • a big smile
  • immeasurable customer satisfaction


I was so happy!


I named my shark CoSo for Covid Souvenir. 


He sits at my desk and still cheers me on! CoSo and his lookalike prize peers brightened my days during one of the most challenging times our world has ever faced. ☀️ I am grateful to have him home as a reminder. 


But wait!


This blog post is about customer service, not me and CoSo.


This is about what happened when an awesome company broke the rules for a customer during the pandemic.


By breaking those rules, they cemented my adoration, loyalty, and respect for their business. 


Since becoming the owner of CoSo:

  • I look at the company even more favorably.
  • I talk about the company with even more enthusiasm. 
  • And though I was already a fan, now I am a super fan. 

That is service magic right there. ↑↑


In my customer service classes, I don't endorse breaking the rules. As a customer, I don't expect service providers to break the rules for me, either. 


Rules enable service consistency around processes, protocols, and fairness.


As service providers, most of the time we cannot and should not break the rules.


And in extraordinary circumstances, with the right intent and the appropriate approval, sometimes breaking the rules is the just the thing to do. 


What has a company done to make you a super-fan?

What have you done to create super-fans for your company?





More customer service lessons can be found here:

Challenging Customers 

HERO Service

Lessons from Disney: We Don't Have Bad Days

Lessons from Disney: Everything Speaks


CoSo made his blog debut here in this short post about Feedback