A good customer service story

I know my last post was about poor customer service, so I thought I'd share a good story of how to engage with customers. 

We have been taking our dogs and cats to a local vet for 15 years. We almost always use the same vet even though they have 3 that work at this clinic. He is great, super friendly and the animals love him too. I'm not sure how much we have spent with this clinic over the last 15 years. In the last few years our dogs have gotten old and sicker. I know the monthly medicine costs for "Princess" costs more than my car payment. In summary we are a pretty lucrative client.

Unfortunately our vet is leaving and moving to Florida. While we do know the other vets and all of the staff, the new full time vet that is taking over is from a different clinic. We've never met him, even though he is a part owner. I'm sure he is good and capable, but that doesn't exactly offset the 15 year relationship we had with the previosu full time vet either. 

But they did something smart. They had a "welcoming party" for the new vet and we were invited, which was great, though we missed it. I'm hoping that on the first visit they will schedule some extra time for us to get to know him. It seems like a great way to reach out to customers and let them know their business is important and see what they are doing well. 

Anytime there is a reason to talk to customers, especially at an executive level, is a great time to differentiate yourself. Don't pass up the chance to be amazing.