Surprise and Delight

I had a lunch appointment in Reston today, so I stopped at the Great Harvest Bread Company in Herndon on the way back to church.   They list the flavors of the day on a bulletin board above the service counter, and I was pleased to see they had 9-grain, which is my favorite.

But then…

When, only a few moments later, my turn came to request the bread I wanted, I noticed 9-grain was NOT on the board.  Hmmm.   Maybe I hadn’t seen it up there after all?

I asked the people who were working, and they said they had just sold the last loaf.  Dang!

But then…

It turned out that one of the loaves designated for cutting (they give everyone in line a free slice so their customers can sample the different kinds of bread) was 9-grain.  They bagged it and gave it to me.  Free.  (OK, it did have one small slice missing.)

Surprise and delight—that’s the very heart of customer service, I think.  In fact, it’s at the very heart of service in general: going the extra mile, going above and beyond, doing what is required “and then some”.     And when a church understands that as well as a business—ahhh, then we’re preaching Gospel!

Comments

[Coral]

Aren't those unexpected freebies so great? It makes you think of a generous higher being, just dishing out pressies!