Customer Service Story #2 (31 July 2015)

Customer Service Story #2 (31 July 2015)-Jonah received a call from Mr. Potts, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, earlier this week. The call came in at around 10:00 p.m. and he sounded really urgent with regards to his order. He wanted a bouquet a bouquet of lilies and roses to be delivered the following morning. Knowing that we did not have enough fully bloomed lilies in stock to fulfil the request of Mr. Potts, Jonah consulted me about it.

I was quick to reject this potential order, as I felt that no customer should be paying for substandard products. I did not want him to be paying for a bouquet of lilies that had yet to bloom. However, Jonah immediately objected to my decision and he emphasised the need to help our customer. This was his story:

The following day was his son’s birthday, and the intention of this order was to not only surprise his son, but to congratulate him and his wife on the birth of their beautiful pair of twins. The previous florists he had contacted did not really understand his request, and he was afraid they might misinterpret him as he had a thick accent. By 10:00 p.m., we were the only ones that he could communicate him. He voiced out his regret for not placing an order in advance. He even compromised on his sleep due to the time differences of Singapore and Ireland, and he was beginning to lose hope.

I sympathised with Mr. Potts and Jonah came up with a solution. We would head down to the nearest florists the following day, to purchase loose stalks of bloomed lilies. We would then prepare his desired bouquet, and have it delivered to the recipient before the stipulated time of 10:00 a.m.

The time had finally came, and we were on our way to deliver it. Upon arrival, we realised that the family had already gone out. The Potts family lived in a condominium and they had a policy whereby no one can leave any item for a resident at the guard room. We were left with no choice but to give the son a call. It was a great joy to hear that we did not spoil the surprise, as the son sounded so happy over the phone that his Dad had remembered his birthday.

His son then granted permission to the security guards to escort us to his unit to place the bouquet outside his home. We left the place feeling happy and as for me, it is a great lesson learnt. There is never a ‘no’ in anything, and there will always be a way. It just depends on how much we are willing to sacrifice.

That’s why, at Floral Garage Singapore, it is rooted in our hearts and minds, that going the extra mile in service, is simply second nature.