The Top TEN Best Customer Service Stories of 2024
The Final List!
This is it. The Top 10 Customer Service Stories from 2024. It took us a little longer than usual, as we had a huge number of examples of excellent customer experience to wade through.
This was also the first time we asked for public input into ranking our shortlist of stories, and the response was overwhelming. Thank all of you to everyone for your help, comments and wisdom!
Every year, Belding Training collects stories about awesome customer service to share with our clients, and to use in our customer service training programs, and leadership development programs. Then we narrow the list down to the top ten experiences.
When curating the list, we don’t look for grand gestures or (necessarily) over-the-top performance. We look for people making a difference – because they care, because they are good what they do and because they stand by their word. That, in the real world, is outstanding customer service.
Why we create this list
The core of customer experience is trust – and the three pillars of Caring, Competency and Integrity.
These stories are vivid examples of the power of these fundamentals. They are useful references for customer experience case studies, training, coaching and for evaluating company processes, policies and practices. Please feel free to share!
Story #10: Asda Home Delivery
Fun fact: This is the fourth year running that an Asda store has made in on this list. Congratulations!
Imagine losing your purse in a grocery store. You’d be delighted to know it had been found. Thrilled that someone had taken the time to call you and let you know it had been found. In the Beverly, U.K. Asda store, however, Stephen took the next step and hopped in his car and drove to her house to return it. There’s something you’ll never see A.I. do!
Story #9: Orange You Glad You Went to 99 Speedmart?
Hove you ever brought home a box of fruit from the store, only to find, down at the bottom, one or two that had gone bad? Sure – we all have.
Unless, it seems, you shop at one of Malyasia’s 99 Speedmart stores.
Customer Johan Irwan Kamarozaman was amazed when the employee at the checkout asked for permission to open the box and check the condition of every single mandarin orange in his box – to make sure that none were bad.
Now there’s someone who cares!
Story #8: Rock, Paper, Scissors - Take Off!
I love this story because it is a beautiful reminder that outstanding customer service isn’t about over-the-top actions or scripted behaviour. Sometimes it can be as simple as a rock-paper-scissors game through the glass of an airline window. Our #8 in the Top 10 Customer Service Stories for 2024 is a wonderful twelve seconds of video!
Story #7: Amazon Abracadabra!
The child of an Amazon customer added some additional delivery instructions to his mom’ order: “Knock on the door 3 times and scream abra cadabra as loud as you can and run super fast away.”
This Amazon delivery person gave the customer exactly what he wanted!
Story #6: It's All About The Olives
So, the customer wanted olives on her sandwich – lots of them. She wasn’t disappointed.
I love when people have fun with their jobs!
Story #5: The Waffle House Lets it Go
I’ve said this a million times. customers love working with people who love their jobs. When your employees are singing and dancing with their customers, and people are saying things like, “It’s not a Waffle House, it’s a Waffle Home, you are doing things right.
I should point out that this isn’t the first time we have highlighted a Waffle House. Here’s a video clip from my keynote address in 2009!
Story #4: An Awesome Dude
We talk a lot about kindness and Caring when it comes to creating customer trust – but one of the other pillars of trust is Competency. This is a great example of both.
J. Packer, and employee at The Rack Room Shoes, got Collin, his autistic customer, the shoes he wanted – ones that didn’t need to be tied (“Hey Dudes”). BUT he didn’t stop there. He sat patiently with Collin and taught him not one, but two ways to tie shoes.
It was a clear message that J cared about his customer, and knew how to help him in a way beyond anyone expectations.
Awesome story!
Story #3: A Special Christmas
We selected this beautiful story about St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener as our #3 Customer Service Story, because it is representative of the amazing things that are done in so many hospitals around the world. And nowhere is customer service more important than
When 4-year-old Isabelle was brought into the St. Mary’s emergency department, they sprung into action. They identified the problem, made sure that Isabelle had a teddy bear to keep her company, and sent her directly to McMasters Children’s Hospital for immediate surgery.
By the time morning came around, Isabelle was back to celebrate Christmas with the caring team at at St. Mary’s – complete with presents and family. Make sure to read the full story – it’s awesome!
Story #2: KFC Employee Does It All
Story #2 is a fantastic example of a woman who could be the poster girl for customer service. When customers say things like, “whatever you’re earning, it ain’t enough,” you know you’re doing something right. That’s what customers say about Lynn, an employee of Cheshire Oaks KFC. She does everything – including dumpster-diving to find a customer’s phone.
If I ever open a restaurant, I want to hire Lynne!
Story #1: Syracuse University's Takes Above and Beyond to New Depths!
Imagine you’re a student, away from home in a university residence. Now imagine that you accidentally throw your passport out with the recycling. Then imagine you call the Facilities Services for help.
At this point, the cynical side of me would imagine someone just saying, “Nothing we can do.”
Well, the cynical side of me never went to the University of Syracuse.
WOW.
First thing the next morning, supervisor Joe Lore and Steve Ruge from Syracuse Haulers began wading through more than 3 tons of garbage. Forty-five minutes later, they found it.
This is our #1 story because it is an amazing example of people who truly did whatever it took to look after their customer. They invested 45 minutes of their time and created a lifetime memory for a student. That’s pretty hard to beat!
