When printing large documents or multiple colour documents Staples Print & Copy Centre is this writer’s most convenient choice. A few clicks of the mouse and the documents are in cue to print. The neat thing about their service is you receive an email acknowledgement of your order, when it is being printed, when it is ready for pick up, and every once in a while a personal phone call to tell you it is ready for pick up.

The order was ready for pick up the following day. Upon approaching the customer service desk, Kathleen, greeted me with a smile and welcome greeting. This is where the experience gets unique. She immediately pulls out her file folder and begins to thumb through while I say “I have an order to pick up and I think it might be under my last name.” All the while Kathleen is listening to me and acknowledging my statement. “Found it” Kathleen says. Incredibly she had found the order without me ever having to say my last name or provide a reference number. “How did you do that?” I asked in amazement. “I remember you” replied Kathleen. In most cases it’s my good looks that make me memorable but in this case it was purely Kathleen’s ability to remember her customers even if they were not frequent. Based on this experience, Staples, and Kathleen have acquired a customer for life as well as a recommendation to others!

The lesson to other retailers and front line employees is your customers want to feel appreciated and when it’s done in a unique way it stands out. Simply checking the name on a customer’s credit card and referencing their name can create a wow experience. This was and continues to be one of the secrets to my success in business.

Article first published as Staples – Great Memory on Technorati.