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In tough times, customer service makes all the difference

A couple of weeks back, my wife and I endured a very scary weekend that involved our young son, Aidan, needing to make several trips to the emergency room for a food-related issue. He was severely dehydrated, anxious and obviously uncomfortable.

And we were scared, really scared.

Our little guy was in a tough place … and, as parents, the stress was beyond description. There were moments throughout when we actually feared the worst which is no place a mom or dad should ever find themselves. It was draining, exhausting and terrifying for all of us.

Thankfully, Aidan is doing much better and so are we. He’ll be working through a program in the coming months to help mitigate the issue and, over time, everything will return to normal.

I share this with you because our very, very dark personal cloud had an extraordinarily shiny silver lining. I say that because we were blessed and so fortunate to have taken Aidan to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Some may say, “If you’ve been to one hospital, you’ve been to ‘em all.”

But that is simply not true about “Children’s”. Not even close.

It’s the People …

I will tell you, Children’s Healthcare is absolutely one of the finest operations I have ever dealt with. It’s not just the extraordinarily clean and beautifully appointed facility with décor that appeals to children and helps put them at ease when all is not well in their little world. It’s not just the cutting-edge technology and exceptional training and experience of the team of doctors, nurses, clinicians and staff. And it’s not just the surprisingly high quality of food served in their cafeteria and in-room to patients. (Sure, it isn’t presented on china with fine silverware and starched linen napkins but it may as well have been.)

It’s all of these things and more. It’s the wonderful, caring people of Children’s that make the hospital a true world-class operation. It’s the kind folks tending to the sick and ailing. It’s being fully briefed and updated on a timely basis by empathetic staff members. It’s being greeted in the hallway by a smiling, friendly janitor. It’s the gracious and attentive staff members of foodservice who delivered meals to Aidan. In short, it’s Children’s passionate commitment to delivering a superior customer experience.

Nobody works a job at Children’s, they are drawn by a calling, a higher purpose. There are no individuals at Children’s, there is only one big family of hard-working men and women. And everyone from the smiling custodian to the nattily dressed CEO understands the harsh reality of their business: Some of those sweet children being treated simply won’t make it. And that’s a crushing, devastating blow to families.

Children’s gets that. They embrace it. And they go to great lengths, across the board, to help ensure a dreadful experience – whether it’s a scary one-night stay or the worst-case scenario — is somehow made a little less dreadful. I know my wife Mary and I were exhausted after that weekend. But perhaps not as exhausted as we may have been, thanks to the wonderful people who served us and took care of Aidan.

The Platinum Standard …

I’m sharing this personal experience with you because I want you to know (if you didn’t already) that, in my mind, Children’s is the platinum standard when it come to competency, caring, compassion and … customer service. And I believe, when it comes down to it, a spirit of service is what inspires and motivates the best and brightest in any industry. It is also the key to any meaningful success.

My entire career has been in service-related work – hotels, restaurants, and event services. I don‘t save lives and I don’t heal the lame but I have always striven to serve my clients; to be as invested in their goals, aspirations and objectives as they are. When our client-partners do well, it’s deeply rewarding. When they fall on tough times, I feel like a family member is struggling and I want to be there to prop them up and help in any way I can.

Just like the good people at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta did for us.

Those of us at dynami group do not see ourselves working in a business of transactions. We are people who serve others. The lower-case “d” and “g” in our company name is to remind us to be humble and to serve. Our fees help us keep the doors open and the lights on but our deepest passion is in serving our client-partners by delivering world-class experiences that transform lives and help create success.

There is one universal truth that cuts across all business sectors in every country, everywhere: When you feel like someone genuinely cares about you, it beats everything else.

I want you to know we care about you.

CONCLUSION

Customer service and delivering a superior customer experience is always important … but perhaps never more than when someone is enduring a frightening situation.

Cheers,