My parents are good customers of Omaha Steaks. In fact, my mom is on a first-name basis with one of the sales reps, Maureen, who calls her on a regular basis to let her know about the latest promotions and specials.
The children and grandchildren are often the beneficiaries of this nice relationship as steaks arrive unannounced on their doorsteps.
When Maureen called recently, my mom placed an order for two boxes of steaks to be shipped to her home in the Catskill Mountains, a very rural area in upstate New York. Maureen always says when the order will be delivered, so my mom can be on the lookout for it. “She said they’d be here and they always are,” my mom said.
This time the scheduled date of delivery came and went … no steaks. That was very unusual.
My mom checked with UPS, which said the steaks had been delivered. The driver apparently stuck the box in between the screen door and the front door, a place he often leaves packages when my parents are out.
My mom called the Omaha Steaks 800 number and relayed the story to the sales rep. He listened, and immediately sent out a duplicate order, which arrived promptly.
I commend Omaha Steaks for giving its reps the authority to make such decisions on the fly. My mother wasn’t put on hold or transferred around to a manager or had to wait for a call back. The rep assessed the situation and made the decision on the spot to resend the order, no questions asked.
My parents said they were “a bit surprised and grateful.” Other companies should take a lesson from Omaha Steaks.
Good customer service is so important. It can make or break a first-time sale, earn a customers’ loyalty and reinforce that dedication in tricky situations. At this time of year in particular, it can be even more vital to a fruitful and continuing relationship with customers.
People are harried. Relatives are coming to town. Meals must be planned and money is going toward gifts that probably should be going to fill the fuel oil tank. The mortgage crisis is weighing heavy on many families, the price of gas is jumping and the stock market is unstable. The last thing anybody wants is to have to make a call to get help or questions answered and get the runaround.
Back to the story, fast-forward several days. My brother Doug is out taking a hike in a wooded section of the property not far from my parent’s home and comes upon … the Omaha Steaks’ Styrofoam shipping box.
It turns out that it had been snatched from the door, carried off and torn apart by a bear that had decided a juicy steak might make a fine dinner compared to a few grubs dug up from under a rock. My brother could tell such things by the claw and teeth marks on the packaging and the paw prints he saw in the fresh mud.
He brought the remains of the box back home, and my mom called Maureen to tell her about the thieving bear. Maureen said, “That is a great story! I’m going to tell that all around.”
Send your comments to Patricia Odell at [email protected].
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