Have you ever had such a great experience with customer service that you wanted to share it with everyone you know? I recently had that experience, and I want to share it with you.

The week of January 10, 2010 I was traveling for business to Westerly, Rhode Island. I was going to be staying at a bed and breakfast called The Villa. I heard a lot of good things about The Villa and its owner’s Barbara and Michael. From the moment I walked in the door I felt like I was family. The Villa has a wonderfully warm and cozy feeling to it. Then I walked into my room. I felt like Princess Jasmine! There was a four-poster bed with a silk canopy, a Jacuzzi bathtub deep enough to almost drown in, and warm fluffy bathrobes that make you want to curl up in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate!

After checking in, getting settled, and heading out to meetings, I returned a few hours later. I received a call shortly thereafter from Michael, the owner, wanting to know if I made it back safely and see if there was anything I needed. So far, this place had already far exceeded my expectations.

The next morning I had breakfast made to order. I’m a pretty healthy eater, so I was having home made by Michael granola. It was delicious. The next day I had the same thing. Only this time when my bowl was placed in front of me, Michael said, “organic granola with no raisins.” I asked how he knew I didn’t like raisins. He said he saw I didn’t eat any of them from the day before so he took them out for me today.

Are these people for real? Who notices something like that and then actually does something about it? Michael and Barbara at the Villa, that’s who. But wait! There’s more. The next day I returned around 7pm and Barbara and Michael asked what I would like for dinner. Dinner at a Bed and Breakfast… Who would have thought? I said a sandwich was fine but they said “Oh no. You have to have a better dinner than that.” Ultimately, we decided on pasta with meatballs. I went to my room and just a moment or two after arriving, the phone rang. It was Michael giving me another option for dinner. He said I could borrow their car and go to a restaurant if I’d like. Have you ever heard of such a thing? What hotel on the planet would offer their car so you could go to dinner? The Villa, that’s who.

A short bit later my spaghetti with meatballs arrived. Let me tell you these were the best meatballs I have ever had. After my dinner was brought to my room, they called to make sure all was well and to see if I wanted another glass of wine. Obviously, the service at this place is over the top. Believe it or not, there’s still more!

The day I checked out I had to get to the train station fairly early. When I got to the front desk Michael and Barbara had packed me a breakfast to go. Just when I thought there was nothing more they could do, they did something more!

You must be thinking, “She left, what else can there be?” I didn’t think there was anything else either. However, there was yet one more thing. I was sitting at the train station in Kingston waiting for my train to arrive when I heard my name over the loudspeaker. I went to the counter where an attendant handed me the phone. It was Barbara from The Villa. I had forgotten my credit card. She was going to drive 30 minutes out of her way to meet me at the next station to give me my credit card. Unbelievable!

If you or someone you know is going to Rhode Island, The Villa is the only place to stay. When you are there tell Barbara and Michael that I said hello. I promise no one will take better of you than they will.

To find out more visit www.thevillaatwesterly.com

Many, if not all, know the customer is not always right. However, it is very true that we can always do right by the customer.
 
How many times have you been the customer asking for something that may not be part of the company’s “policy”? Perhaps you were asking to return an item without a receipt or make an exchange that was past the exchange by date. Some companies will let you do this, others won’t.
 
You know the feeling of frustration when you are not given what you want especially when it will have no negative effects on the company. But, they say no because “It’s not their policy.” Hopefully we all know the opposite feeling as well. You get exactly what you asked for even though it’s not policy, but they did it anyway. Where are you likely to do business in the future?
 
In tough economic times service is more important than ever. As the business owner do you go out of your way to make your customer happy? Maybe you have your policies, but do you deviate from them when it comes to keeping a customer?
 
At the end of the day, people will return to those places where they are treated well and their patronage was appreciated. Sometimes being right is far less important than doing right by your customer.