At Ritz-Carlton hotels, each staff member can spend up to $2,000 to resolve a customer complaint. Zappos's customer loyalty team will stay on the phone as long as a caller wants and assist with any query, even one unrelated to Zappos. Nordstrom once refunded the purchase price of a set of tires, even though the department store has never sold tires.
Not every company can be a Ritz-Carlton, a Zappos, or a Nordstrom. But any company can provide service that, in overused industry parlance, "delights" the customer. Yes, product innovation is critical for companies' brands and for the economy as a whole. From a utilitarian standpoint, however, companies can earn the greatest outpouring of love from the greatest number of people by investing in service. That's even true—scratch that—especially true in times of economic stress.
It's not just the economy that is prodding companies to become service heroes. The boundary between buyers and sellers is blurring, with customers acting as brand evangelists and influencing product selection and even participating in research and development. Consequently, great service is notjust about speed and accuracy but also about warmth and personalization.
In the new, generally technology-based service model, companies want to avoid disappointing friends. And heaven help those that make enemies. Services such as Yelp, Twitter, and YouTube broadcast to millions the primal yawps of enraged customers. Corporations, meanwhile, are winnowing supply chains, forcing suppliers to hone every customer interaction with an eye toward retaining—and improving—their positions.
The following stories depict companies that are striving to provide dazzling service in three very different industries. We hope you enjoy them. Please let us know if there is any other way we can be of help.