The small things are often the big things. I have heard that line often, and last week a variety of cab drivers and a box of Shrewsbury biscuits reminded me that small gestures truly do have a big impact.
Cab driver number 1, let’s call him Prancer, was amazing. First of all his cab was super clean, inside and outside. No dust and grime. No stale cigarette smoke smell. The seat belts worked and he arrived a few minutes early. The icing on the cake was that he got out of the car to help me with my bags and also opened and closed the door for me. I am well capable of doing these things myself, but it was part of his service offering and he did it with a smile. I will definitely be using him again.
Cab driver number 2, let’s call him Dancer, he was a bit all over the place. His car was decently maintained but he had his earphones on most of the time and was always on his phone. At one point I had to tell him to drive with both hands on the wheel as the car was dancing from side to side as he juggled his phone and the steering making me feel unsafe. This brings me to Cab driver no 3, let’s call him Glancer, he just sat in the front and kept glancing through his rear-view mirror to see if I had put my bags in the boot. Did not meet and greet me in any way other than through his rear-view mirror.
All three of them provided me transportation from point A to B. One driver, Prancer greeted me with a smile, and the simple act of opening and closing a door for me, made me feel taken care of and looked after. Prancer will be the one that I choose next time I want to travel.
Linking this experience of a smile and a door being opened being the ‘stand-out service delivery moment’ for me, to the PR industry, or any service industry for that matter, leaves me hopeful. The base product offering (the vehicle and its ability to get me from point A to B) is going to be table stakes. Every consultancy will offer (or claim to have) a bouquet of services. AI will add a new layer of sameness, once everybody learns how to integrate and use it better. What will be left to differentiate? Our humanness.
The smile (genuine not forced – because we are smart enough to make out the difference) and the courtesy of helping me with my luggage and opening the door for me. How to create a culture that inspires every employee to offer their own special version of this “make the customer feel special moment” ? This is what will be the differentiation that will buy customer loyalty.
Now for my Shrewsbury biscuit moment. I was in Pune on a work trip and spending the night with some friends. It was lovely catching up with them after ages and we had a great meal together, went for a morning walk and as I was about to get into Cab number 3, with Glancer, a box of Shrewsbury biscuits and a Mawa cake (Trademark goodies from Pune) appeared out of nowhere as a going home gift. They had organised this ahead of my visit and kept it for me to take home because most people who visit Pune want to take this back with them and there are often long queues and they run out. So, they bought some and kept it for me. I am blessed to have friends who open their homes to me and look after me, but the little bag of Shrewsbury biscuits tells me that I hold a special place in their hearts.
This is me reminding myself to be grateful for the door openers, the people who greet me with a smile, and the Shrewsbury biscuit gifters in my life. More importantly, it’s me telling myself that I too can open doors, smile more, and buy biscuits for the special people in my life. Not because I have to, or because it’s the right thing to do, but because it feels good to be the person who gifts another that special feeling. The little things are the big things.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
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