Top 10 Examples of Excellent Customer Service

16 February 2023

A positive experience can help grow a company and leave customers wanting more, returning repeatedly to receive that same excellent level of care. Whether it be a barista who remembers someone’s regular order, staff phoning other stores to check stock levels, or sending out surveys to customers to see what they really think, it’s important to have great customer care.

Here are some examples of extreme customer service, which have made the news:

1. Target employee and the nervous teen

We can all remember how nerve-racking our first few job interviews were. One teen wanted to make sure he made the best first impression possible. Before his job interview, he stopped by Target to pick up a clip-on tie. He asked an employee for help, but it turned out that the store only sold regular ties. Rather than leave it at that, the employee offered to show the young man how to tie a tie. From there, they practiced a few handshakes and went over some mock interview questions.

When the teen went to leave the store, he was met with supportive cheer from other Target employees. Customers in the store at the time commented on the warmth and kindness in their voices as they worked with him.

2. Sainsbury’s and Lily’s giraffe bread

Mid-sandwich one day, 3-year-old Lily began to question Sainsbury’s decision to name the bread she was eating “tiger bread”. To Lily, the bread clearly looked much more like a giraffe and she wrote to the supermarket giant to tell them so. Instead of ignoring her letter, a Sainsbury’s customer service manager not only wrote back to Lily to agree, enclosing a gift card, but also renamed the bread “giraffe bread” in her honour.

3. Domino’s and the roads of America

In the USA, Domino’s customers felt distressed by the condition of their pizza after driving home. Domino’s noticed the conditions of the roads were poor, and started a campaign to help pizza to get home in one piece (or you might say 8 pieces!) by filling up potholes on the roads in all 50 states. The Paving for Pizza allows customers to see the effects of the road on their Domino’s Pizza through a camera in a pizza box. Domino’s sprays their logo on the tarmac and customers are happy knowing their pizza is safe.

4. The Ritz-Carlton and Joshie the Giraffe

After a visit to the Ritz-Carlton, Chris Hurn’s son accidentally left his toy Joshie the giraffe behind in his hotel room. As any parent would, Chris reassured his son that Joshie was just taking an extra few days’ holiday before making a desperate call to the hotel to explain what had happened. After finding the giraffe, staff really got into the spirit of the story and, before they sent him back, took and posted pictures of Joshie relaxing around the hotel, including by the pool and in the spa.

5. Ugg and Health care workers

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers became thrust into a world of uncertainty; Ugg launched the Better Together initiative in the USA, to donate over one million dollars to the COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts through monetary and product donations. UGG also initiated partnerships with hotels that gave rooms to medical staff serving on the frontlines. When these courageous health care workers arrived at their rooms after a long and difficult day, they were welcomed with comforting UGG products, such as luxurious slippers and plush robes.

6. United Airlines and Kerry Drake

Kerry Drake was making the dash to reach his mother’s hospital bedside as she was facing her final hours. When his first flight was delayed, Kerry broke down in tears on the plane, knowing he wouldn’t make his connecting flight. When the flight crew found out what was happening they spoke to the captain who radioed ahead to Kerry’s next flight, which delayed its departure to ensure he got on board. As a result, he made it in time to see his mother before she passed away.

7. H&M and the prayer room

Two Muslim friends were shopping in H&M, when one realised it was time for evening prayer. An employee overheard and cleared out a dressing room, switched off the music in that area and placed a blanket on the floor for the person to kneel on. The customers felt that the young employee went above and beyond to meet their needs and appreciated the diverse, inclusive and positive nature of the team at H&M.

8. Tommee Tippee UK and Ben Carter

Ben Carter, a 14-year-old boy with severe Autism, became the centre of a viral social media campaign when the only cup he would ever drink out of, made by Tommee Tippee but now discontinued, needed to be replaced. Without his cup, he would refuse liquid, even if it meant dehydration and hospitalisation. Ben’s father shared the information online and the public took up his cause, leading to Tommee Tippee’s decision to create a limited run of 500 of the discontinued cups, especially for Ben.

9. Southwest Airlines and the bridesmaid dress

When a bridesmaid forgot her dress for her sister’s wedding, she thought the world might come crashing down. That is until she took a gamble on Twitter asking Southwest Airlines to take the dress on the next available flight. A friend of the bridesmaid dropped the dress off at the airport, and the bridesmaid was able to pick the dress up at the other end just in time for the wedding! Southwest Airlines documented the journey on Twitter, even going as far as to tag the dress with a tracker so followers could see in real time were the dress was! The whole journey was keeping followers on the edge of their seats, and the bride and her family were incredibly grateful.

10. Bungie Studios and Brady

In 2013, the father of a sick 5-year-old boy called Brady wrote to Bungie Studios (creators of the Halo franchise) after Brady had come out of surgery. Brady was a Halo fan and his dad wanted to know if the makers of the game could put a smile back on his son’s face. Bungie certainly did that, by presenting Brady with a Halo t-shirt, a card signed by all of the studio workers and a full-size replica of a helmet worn by one of the characters in the game.