On The Road with Paul Cronin

I am on the road again. Today my train ride took me to a Hospital, different than my normal airport destination. I arrived early so I took in some coffee before the procedure.

As I sat in the cafeteria close to the cashier I couldn’t help but notice the different way people greeted the cashiers, cooks and other patrons. Some people appeared tired, groggy and quiet. They nodded to the cashier on the way out. Few words were exchanged.

Some people appeared in a rush, no time for chit chat or a friendly greeting. They didn’t acknowledge or show gratitude to anyone. No words were exchanged except for questions about where is the salt and pepper.

Some were full of life with a warm greeting and a few minutes to discuss the day. They left the cafeteria team smiling and with their head up. I saw one case where the bill came to $7.10 and when the person started looking for the .10 cents the cashier said don’t worry about it, people leave pennies with me and I will cover it over the day. A sign of reciprocal gratitude, evidence of the ultimate client experience.

When I first arrived at 6:30 am I approached the ordering window and there were two cooks in front of me. I gleaned through the glass window and saw the bacon, hash, sausages, potatoes and other yummy food sitting in warming trays. I started to float off the ground with the idea of eating all these carbs. I gave them a smile and a warm greeting, let them know this was my first time there (that is a good thing) and proceeded to order my breakfast. I was abruptly cut short by one of the cooks with a “we don’t open until 6:45.” Ok, I understand they need prep time and I respect that. The other cook jumped in after seeing my smile disappear and said but the coffee is hot and we have some amazing just cooked muffins if you would like to get started with that. My smile was back and my carb rush was on and it was great. 

As I checked out with the cashier I mentioned how the cook was so helpful and friendly. She smiled and said “she hears that everyday and that she thinks that some people come to talk to her more than to order food. She is a super hero and part of the reason their client experience rating is so high (8).”

She then whispered to me “ I don’t go to the other cook until lunch, it takes him a long time to wake up and smile.” Too much information for me, but I get it.

Well I got my carbs, made my 6:45 procedure and stopped by for a coffee to go and to say thank you again to the cook who went out of her way to understand my situation, guide me to a solution and leave me with the ultimate client experience. Her response was as big as life. She said “ thank you very much, that means a lot to me and I would say come back and visit again but I don’t think that you want to have to do that.”

The reason that the ultimate client experience is so hard to deliver is because it takes someone wanting to be a super hero, looking for ways to understand how people are feeling, solve problems with a smile, and have technology available to them to perform their roles and make people feel good in the end. 

I am fortunate that Apogee has a lot of super heroes!

Do you have a super hero story to share?

Best Wishes - Paul Cronin