Ever see a movie from the 1950s where the car enters the gas station, bumping over a little hose that creates that ding-ding, and 3-4 workers in crisp matching outfits come running out to the car to fill you up, clean the windows, and check your tires?
My first job in high school was working just such a gas station (and no it was not the 1950s) that had both full-service and self-service pumps. We had the “ding-ding” sound to let us know a car rolled up in the full-service lane. And while we were pumping gas, we checked the oil, washer fluid, and washed their windows. We had a lot of customers that were willing to pay extra for that level of service.
A lot of businesses lost that level of full-service for a while, and although it is at the core of everything we do at Northwest – it is making a comeback in other industries.
Northwest has always been full-service, but the advent of self-service has become an option in our full-service model for convenience and choice.
We have been and continue to be built by and for our member customers. We consistently strive to keep our members happy, and this year, we intend to go past ‘happy’ into delighted – which is how I imagine I would feel if I rolled into a gas station today and three or four people came running out to check everything from my gas and fluid levels to the air in my tires.
“Our company consciousness is excellence in all areas.”
The resurgence of customer – or member – service I see in other industries is in the plethora of email and text surveys, as well as the change in call center representative scripts. Representatives are educated and trained to be empathetic, to listen to the issue and strive for resolution. While I think some customer service is a bit obsequious, bordering on irritating, and some industries may have over-corrected a bit, it takes time to balance the seesaw.
At Northwest, we start by learning what our members expect today and tomorrow so we can ensure a connected experience, then balance that with evolving member expectations. We employ surveys regularly to gauge where we are on our service levels, and use this data to scale upcoming trends or shifts in expectations for future programs or outreach. This all results in us maintaining a company consciousness of excellence in all areas.
I don’t think we’ll see the gas stations of yore, but it is terrific to see employees genuinely happy doing their jobs. Suddenly ‘going the extra mile’ is the norm, not the exception, and we keep moving ever forward to exceed our members’ expectations.
This is what we want for every member in every transaction without fail.