A Good Cup of Customer Service

I have a slightly un-healthy habit... coffee.  I can't help it, I crave the stuff. Hot, cold, as an ice cream mixed with chocolate fudge sauce and almonds....   I need to stop, I'm drooling on my keyboard.  Basically, I like coffee.  A few months ago, I treated myself to one of those fancy one cup brewers.  It was love a first sip.  All was perfect java-induced euphoria until the water tank accidentally slipped, hit the tile the floor, and cracked.  Like whipped cream on a hot caramel macchiato, my blissful morning had melted away.  Faster than you can say "mocha", I was on the company's website to order a new part! The part arrived, literally, a couple days later and much to my unexpected surprise, it was a BIGGER water tank.  Now, math has never been my best subject, but even I was able to instantly calculate: bigger water tank + coffee = more coffee FASTER! Wait... there's more!  Samples of the new iced coffees!  I had been desperate to try them but, I lacked the justification for further increase to my already maximized coffee budget.  Yet there they were, like an answered french vanilla prayer.


Now, I know what you're thinking... either, I'm easily impressed or I need to cut back on the caffeine.  And while both are true, that's not my point.  My point is that, the frustration of ordering a broken part had somehow managed to turn into a great customer service experience! My part arrived quickly, it was better than I thought it would be, I received something I didn't expect, overall I got a better ordering experience than I expected!

It all reminded me of an email I received from a parent:

My daughter loves waumba land and all the workers there. As a parent this makes me feel so good seeing her run into her class every Sunday and have no problem telling me and my husband bye. 


Because of you, this family got more out of their church experience than they expected. 

Coffee companies are the only ones who can provide great 'customer service'. When we are prepared, when a child feels safe and cared for, when we can share a small moment with a parent about their child... families get a better 'church' experience than they thought they would. And ultimately, our ability to influence children for God goes from 'tall' to 'venti'-size!