Great People
There are people in the quantum realm who seldom fail to brighten our days, and featured here are two individuals who are unsung heroes of everyday life.
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Scott and Diana are brother and sister owners of the garage that has serviced my vehicles for over 30 years. They appreciate their customers deeply, never failing to greet them personally as they enter the door often with phone in one hand as they book service appointments and follow up calls.
When the garage moved further from my home, I followed. I was there a little more than a month ago to get my winter tires installed and in the half hour that I sat in the waiting area two different customers came in with their friends to introduce them to Scott and Diana. Why? For the same reason I was there, because with Scott and Diana you know they care about you. It is an increasingly rare feeling in the world of customer service, so much of which is automated now.
It wasn’t long after I visited Scott and Diana that I had to face the ordeal of waiting for over 75 minutes on hold to get through to a phone company’s customer “service” to place an order so that they would fix their service that wasn’t working (and that I was paying for). I have never had such experience with Scott and Diana, and that’s what keeps me going back.
As personal contact is often more distanced now, it is important that we trust the promises that businesses make and hold them to account. When Scott or Diana tells me something needs to be fixed on my car, I have no doubt that it is true and that they will fix it properly, because of that unfailing personal connection we have had for over 30 years. The connection was reinforced as I was paying for my service and Diana was telling me how she was looking forward to curling during the winter, a personal moment that we both shared. And I hope that, in spite of Covid, Diana is enjoying curling now!
I smiled as I thought about the human touch while sitting in their waiting area. It’s not a well-appointed or comfortable area, and not well heated either, but that’s beside the point. Scott and Diana are not in the hospitality business, they’re in the garage business and it’s a craft that they perform well enough that their customers introduce their friends. That’s the hallmark of a great business, and the great people who run it!