CUSTOMER SERVICE

No one can make you serve customers well.

That`s because great service is a choice.

Years ago, Harvey Mackay, (Business Motivational Speaker & Inspirational Quotes - Harvey Mackay)told a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport.

When a cab pulled up,the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to abright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshlypressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car toopen the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed him a laminated cardand said:`I`m Wally, your driver. While I`m loading your bags in the trunk I`d like you to read my mission statement.`

Taken aback, Harvey read thecard.

It said:Wally`s Mission Statement:To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew Harvey away.

Especially when he noticed that the inside ofthe cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind thewheel, Wally said, `Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos ofregular and one of decaf.`

Harvey said jokingly, `No, I`d prefer a soft drink.`

Wally smiled and said, `No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.`

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, `I`ll take a Diet Coke.`

Handing him his drink, Wally said, `If you`d like something to read,

Ihave The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.`

As they were pulling away, Wally handed him another laminated card.`

These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you`d like tolisten to the radio.`

And as if that weren`t enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the airconditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.

Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for thattime of day.

He also let him know that he`d be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him withhis own thoughts.`

Tell me, Wally,` Harvey asked the driver, `have you always served customers like this?

`Wally smiled into the rearview mirror. `No, not always. In fact, it'sonly been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spentmost of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio oneday.

He had just written a book called You`ll See It When You BelieveIt.

Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a badday, you`ll rarely disappoint yourself.

He said, `Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from yourcompetition.

Don`t be a duck. Be an eagle.

Ducks quack and complain.

Eagles soar above the crowd.```

That hit me right between the eyes,` said Wally. `Dyer was reallytalking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decidedto change my attitude and become an eagle.

I looked around at the othercabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers wereunfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make somechanges. I put in a few at a time.

When my customers responded well, Idid more.``I take it that has paid off for you,`

Harvey said. `It sure has,`Wally replied. `

My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from theprevious year. This year I`ll probably quadruple it. You were lucky toget me today.

I don`t sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call mefor appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answeringmachine.

If I can`t pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friendto do it and I take a piece of the action.`

Wally was phenomenal.

He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. Harvey probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it.

WheneverHarvey went to their cities, he would give them a call.

The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told him all the reasons they couldn`t do any of what he was suggesting.

Johnny the Bagger and Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice.

They decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about you? Apply it in your own businesses and homes and see the change around you