I froze when I heard Tyanna say "Sorry, we do not have your order. We cannot do anything about it because our warehouse ran out of the items you ordered." Â Â It was a couple of days before Valentine's Day and I was ready to pick up my order of 20 cases of chocolate cakes for our station's 180 Amazon Driver Associates. What will I tell them? What will I give them on this special day as they don't have time anymore to get one for their wives, mothers, daughters, or significant others?
As I grappled with the shocking revelation, memories of the manager's assurance on January 25th flashed before me, promising a heads-up if any issues arose. Sadly, the call never came and now, I have to navigate the crisis on my own.
Regaining composure, I shifted into resolution mode and asked Tyanna what she would like to receive other than the chocolate cake. Based on her recommendation, we emptied the shelves of the remaining cakes, raspberry pastry, and heart-shaped cookies. Still short of 120 items, Tyanna took charge, contacting stores across the Bay Area to complete my orders. In a few minutes, Tyanna handed me a list from three additional stores, ensuring all items were ready for pickup by the end of the day. A heartwarming interaction with a sales clerk underscored the significance of this initiative – bringing joy to the unsung heroes, our Amazon drivers.
As the drivers returned from a rainy day of deliveries, I personally distributed the treats, eliciting heartfelt gratitude and even a few hugs. I went home past midnight happy to have made each driver SMILE after a long day of delivering SMILES.
Thinking back, it was a good case study for a training module I developed --- The 4As to astound guests. I use this module to train employees of clients of my sideline consulting firm - PRoa@theastoundgroup or simply #tag.
The fourth A reinforces the importance of preemptively offering Alternatives, preventing potential frustrations, and helping the customers with resolutions through the alternatives or options we must readily offer thus, giving them the power to choose what's good for them.
Knowing my previous issue, I wished the Manager readily provided the alternatives at the onset of my order. If I also didn't know any better and without Tyanna's valuable assistance, I would have just left frustrated and purchased the giveaways from another brand store.
Strike 1, Strike 2... should I aim for Strike 3?