Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/515025
Editor's NOTE I often get emails to surveys after I have done business with a company. Rarely do I complete them. Recently, though, I stayed at a hotel where the service was so good, I not only filled out the survey but went to the TripAdvisor.com website and wrote a review of the property when asked to do so. It shows some things never change. Going above and be- yond for your customers will always excite them. It also gives you a goal every time you head to a job site. When you're in your truck every morning, you should be hoping you can pro- vide your customer a product or service so good they'll be energized to tell others just as I was. I bookended stays at a Las Vegas hotel around a trip to Southwest Utah. When I arrived at the Las Vegas property the first time and gave the registration desk atten- dant my reservation number, she looked at her computer and frowned. Uh oh, I thought. But she said, "Excuse me," talked to another coworker for no more than one minute, and replied, "The room you reserved is not ready and it should be. I'm sorry about that. So you don't have to wait, I'm going to upgrade you to a suite." "Wow!" my wife and I thought. Unexpected. Above and beyond. We returned to the hotel the day before flying home. I had frequent traveler points enabling me to get a free stay. As I was checking in, I told the front desk attendant how much my wife and I appreciated the great service we received one week earlier because the trip was a celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary. The attendant looked up and said, "Congratulations! Since it's your anniversary, let me upgrade you to a suite too. I can't put you in the same one, but there is an- other one available tonight. It's a great room and someone should stay in it. Since it's your anniversary it should be you." "Wow!" my wife and I thought—again! Unexpected and above and beyond serv- ice—again! If you're scoring at home, that's two suites for the price of one regular room. Consider this the first—and last—time I leave Las Vegas a big winner. As we checked out the next day, the same attendant was working the registration desk. She came around the desk and asked how we liked the room, told us congratu- lations once again, and shook our hands. Can you see why as I was wading through hundreds of emails in the days after the trip, I took the time to open the two from the hotel, one linking to a survey and the other linking to TripAdvisor? Can you also see why my wife and I have a new place we'll be staying when we return to Las Vegas? What about you? What can you do to excite your customers? Make it your goal to blow them away with great service every day. Thad Plumley is the editor of WWJ and director of information products at the National Ground Water Association. He can be reached at tplumley@ngwa.org and on Twitter @WaterWellJournl. AIM TO EXCITE YOUR CUSTOMERS The Water Well Journal (ISSN #0043-1443) is published monthly by the National Ground Water Association, 601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH 43081. Printed and mailed at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and additional mailing offices. Postal acceptance: Periodical (requester subscription circulation) postage paid at Westerville, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Water Well Journal, 601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH 43081. Canada Post/ Publications Mail Agreement #40739533. Return address: 4960-2 Walker Rd., Windsor, ON N9A 6J3. Advancing the expertise of groundwater professionals and furthering groundwater awareness. Chief Executive Officer Kevin McCray, CAE kmccray@ngwa.org NGWA President Richard Thron, MGWC Director of Information Products/Editor Thad Plumley tplumley@ngwa.org Water Well Journal Editorial Review Board Art Becker, MGWC, CPG; Tom Christopherson; Dan Milan; Roger Renner, MGWC; John Schnieders, Ph.D., and Robert Sterrett, Ph.D. Senior Editor Mike Price mprice@ngwa.org Copyeditor Wayne Beatty wbeatty@ngwa.org Production and Design Janelle McClary jmcclary@ngwa.org Advertising Wanda Bloch wbloch@ngwa.org Vickie Crosby vcrosby@ngwa.org Shelby Fleck sfleck@ngwa.org Circulation Coordinator Carol Clark cclark@ngwa.org Contributing Writers Ed Butts, PE, CPI; Donald W. Gregory; William J. Lynott; Julie Hansen; Christine Reimer; Al Rickard, CAE; Ron Slee; Lana Straub; Jennifer Strawn; and Alexandra Walsh Editorial, Advertising, & Publishing Offices 601 Dempsey Rd., Westerville, OH 43081 (800) 551-7379 Fax: (614) 898-7786 Selected content from Water Well Journal is indexed on Ground Water On-Line™ at www.NGWA.org/gwonline ©Copyright 2015 by the National Ground Water Association. All rights reserved. An APEX award winner 11 consecutive years with 24 total awards, most in the groundwater industry. waterwelljournal.com You should hope you can provide your customer a product or service so good they'll be energized to tell others. 8 June 2015 WWJ