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"A Category of One"...(On Great Service)

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC

"Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap",.  "Tap, tap, tap, tap".

We heard a series of them shortly after takeoff though they soon ended and we forgot about them as our breakfast was served.  Until I noticed that for the very first time, after eating hundreds of similar airline breakfasts, this one was different...The lid was off of my yogurt.  Not only that, but my fruit cup was in a glass instead of its normal plastic cup...

I asked my American Airlines commuter flight attendant Tom McCarthy why the lid was off my yogurt.  "I've seen too many people get squirted when they open them because they don't know they're pressurized, so I tap them and take the tops off before I serve them". (I'm one of those self-inflicted victims).  I asked him if he'd been instructed to do so. "No, I just do it".  Then I asked about the fruit served in the beverage glasses. "I just think it looks better".

During our short flight I watched Tom McCarthy find time to crouch down and individually engage every single first class passenger in a conversation, beginning with a "thank you".  He was friendly, a little bit corny, certainly self-effacing.  He came over and brushed off the seat and arranged the seat belt straps of the old man across the aisle from me who went to the lavatory.

There have been many flight attendants who have thanked me for the business (not including the recorded video), but only Tom McCarthy crouched down so that he could look me right in the eye and mean it.  Hundreds of attendants have served me the same breakfast, but Tom McCarthy is the first to anticipate the likelihood of me squirting it all over myself and acting proactively.  Tom McCarthy is the first flight attendant I've ever seen brush the crumbs off a customer's seat when they stretched their legs, let alone arrange the seat belt so it would be easier to fasten when they sat back down.  Tom McCarthy is one of very few flight attendants who cared enough about pleasing his customers that he put their fruit into a beverage glass just because he thought it looked better.

I am a fan of flight attendants - they have a truly difficult job, and I've met some great ones over the past 1.5 million miles.  But as far as I'm concerned, there is ONE attendant that is in a class by himself - or as Joe Calloway refers to it in his book,"Becoming a Category of  One" (read it): Tom McCarthy.

Thats our job - yours and mine:  To become the Tom McCarthy's of our  respective worlds.  

Not good, not great:  A "Category of One".  

To observe, to listen, to look at the world through the eyes of those we would serve -  that's how it's done.    It isn't about technology, although technology may play a role.  It's about spending time contemplating, dreaming, imagining how we can DELIGHT, and then finding a way to deliver.  It may involve a grand scheme, but more than likely is comprised of a series of small, subtle, elements.

Like removing the yogurt lids before you serve them.

Delighting the people we serve is the real work of Leaders.

LEAD.

Comments (83)

Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

This is a great post.  I really believe that exceeding our clients expectations is what makes more people refer us.

Aug 22, 2012 02:54 AM
Richard V. Foster, Esq.
Law Office of Richard V. Foster - Henderson, NV
Broker (58356) - ABR/M, CREN, CRS, GRI, RRG, SFR

It is great to read a story about good customer service. Too often people do not make the effort to give good service, and I think it is in part because people do not bother to acknowledge good service. So I say to you, GOOD JOB.

Aug 22, 2012 03:10 AM
John DL Arendsen
CREST "BACKYARD' HOMES, ON THE LEVEL General & Manufactured Home Contractor, TAG Real Estate Sales & Investments - Leucadia, CA
Crest Backyard Homes "ADU" dealer & RE Developer

Ah, Perhaps there's a glean of hope that days of old we may revisit. I remember the good ole days of airline travel. In fact in the real good ole days everyone, including coach, got a full course meal and a white talble cloth. I know I'm dating myself but I do remember those days in the 60's.

Aug 22, 2012 03:24 AM
Toby Barnett
KW North Sound - Marysville, WA
Toby Barnett

Hrm, I've never flown first class. Maybe one day.

Aug 22, 2012 03:50 AM
Anonymous
James Pierce, Realtor, CB - San Francisco Mkt. Street

Other notables that we have flown with recently that are also Very Good: Lufthansa-Business Class (lie flat seats are great when you want to take a snooze!) from SFO to Frankfurt or Munich. By the way, they have Gummy Bears in addition to everything else in the Business Class lounge in Germany.

Alaska - First Class, SFO to Cabo, and back.

Hawaiian - First Class, SFO to Hawaii and back.

All Exceptional!

Aug 22, 2012 04:11 AM
#68
Nancy Swope
Killarney Realty Irish Hills - Tipton, MI

What an inspiring story and very well written.  Thanks so much for giving us all something to think about as we go about our day not only in our work but in our daily lives with friends and family.

Aug 22, 2012 04:13 AM
Joe LaVallie
HomeStreet Bank - Mountlake Terrace, WA
111363

Client service. When people receive good service they are more than willing to refer you to other people.

 

Aug 22, 2012 04:48 AM
Rocky Dole
Revelation Real Estate - Maricopa, AZ

I think that there is definitely a shortage of this type of service in real estate.  I have purchased a couple of homes but I would not say that I had outstanding service on any of the transactions.  That is one of the reasons that I entered into real estate.  I figure that all I have to do is to strive to perform this level of service and people will see that I am different and want to use me.  So far it has been very successful for me.  If you perform the best service people will notice and you will get business.

Aug 22, 2012 05:13 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

John

This is an excellent example of how to set yourself apart and to "amaze, amuse, delight and surprise" your clients. THIS is what people will remember and share.

I'd much rather they share the great stuff they remember than the bad. LOL

Jeff

Aug 22, 2012 06:11 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

I love it when I get service like this and I remember it too.  

Aug 22, 2012 06:32 AM
Sharon Vest
Century 21 JC Jones American Dream - Grants Pass, OR

John, in this world of self service it is indeed rare to encounter excellence.  Customer service is so much more than just a smile and a thank you, it is a desire to exceed your expectations. 

I believe Tom would have provided the coach passengers with the same level of service as those in First Class! It is obvious he is genuinely concerned with the welfare of others. 

In my business the buyer of a manufactured home in a park receives the same care and attention as the buyer of the high end river front home.  They are fellow human beings, future friends and are all deserving of the best I have to offer!  And that is the way it should be in all types of encounters with those we share this planet with. 

Aug 22, 2012 09:17 AM
Monique Ting
INET Realty Honolulu, HI - Honolulu, HI
Your agent under the sun

John, this flight attendant went above and beyond his duties to make you feel special and valued as a customer. In our "service" industry, we should all strive to emulate his style. Thank you for sharing that inspiring story. Aloha!

 

Aug 22, 2012 09:22 AM
Debbe Perry
Real Living Carolina Property - Morganton, NC
828.439.3084 Morganton/Lake James NC

Nothing like a great feel-good story to finish out the day. Love it: Tom McCarthy, superlative customer service, A Category of One.

Great post!

Aug 22, 2012 11:19 AM
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Thanks for the inspiration, I will work hard at being a "category of one"!

Aug 22, 2012 01:33 PM
Teri Clardy
Colorado Premier Staging, LLC - Littleton, CO
APSD Certified Home Stager Pro

Great Post!  A wonderful example of the type of service we should all provide.  Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to use Tom McCarthy as a Category of One role model.

Aug 22, 2012 02:50 PM
Jamie King
Hoty Enterprises, Inc. - Huron, OH
Sandusky, OH

Thank you, John, for giving credit where credit is due. Tom obviously takes pride in his work, which is rare in an age where customer service often seems a foreign concept to many. I appreciate that you took the time to honor this man's dedication. He deserved the recognition!

Aug 22, 2012 10:53 PM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

John, thiis is a great story, with an important message. I strive to be a Tom McCarthy!

Aug 23, 2012 01:02 AM
M.C. Dwyer
Melody Russell Team at eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Felton, CA
MC Dwyer-Santa Cruz Mountains Property Specialist

Wow.   talk about going the extra mile.   great blog - thanks John!

Aug 23, 2012 05:28 AM
Nan Jester
Exit Real Estate Gallery Jacksonville Beach, FL - Jacksonville Beach, FL
Realtor, Exit Real Estate Gallery

Service with a smile. Don't like your job well enough to be pleasant and do it with a smile? Get a different job.

Aug 23, 2012 07:12 AM
Amada Slade
Island Realty of the Lowcountry - Beaufort, SC

It's the little things that count so very much. Those small gestures that touch us and make us believe someone cares. That is the way to put a smile on someones face, a spring in their step or just to make their day.  Tom delivers and those grateful respond and so it goes on.  I'm sure you made his day by acknowledging how great he was.  Great blog, thanks for sharing.

Aug 25, 2012 05:48 AM