Your Reputation is at Steak

I’m a sucker for a good customer relations story. As a guy who helps design the experience for our first time guests, I love tales of organizations who go above and beyond to “WOW” their people. I love it when managers realize that the bottom line isn’t always financial…sometimes it’s relational. As a matter of fact, I’ve been known to do business with certain companies not because I knew much about their product, but because I’ve heard so much about their legendary service.

That’s why I can’t get Peter Shankman’s Morton’s Steakhouse story off my mind. I came across it a couple of months ago and filed it away to my Read It Later account, but I’ve gone back to it several times just to bask in the glory that is phenomenal customer service. Shankman’s epic saga of a tweet, a flight, and a guy in a tuxedo carrying a steak dinner is something you have to see to believe.

Take a few minutes and read it for yourself. I promise you’ll find yourself saying “no WAY!” at least three times during the post. (Warning to my homeschool crowd: there are a couple of saucy words in the attached link. You should go here instead.)

After you read it, answer one of these for bonus credit:

1. What’s the greatest customer service you’ve ever received?
2. What is one company you’d do business with based solely on service alone (even if their product wasn’t the absolute best)?
3. If you’re a church leader, tell us your Morton’s story: how have you gone above and beyond to serve someone?