I, like most Americans have grown so weary of the unbelievably bad customer service in the everyday marketplace both online and off in this country.

Until recently, we as consumers did not have a very easy and effective way to share with the masses our experiences nor were we very successful in getting attention to our plight regarding bad service and products from the very companies we had the conflict with. The old “on hold forever 800 number” was many times the only recourse we could take against these offending businesses.

That was until technology put the tools in the consumer’s hands that gave us access to the masses and the ability to put wings on our voices so we can finally have our say and it matter.

Business must wake up to the fact their reputation belongs to the people just as their brand does. This is why I say gone are the days of treating your customer anyway you please. We will not stand for that anymore. You will find yourself out of business!

If bad customer experiences being broadcast to the masses via social networks can seal your fate as a business, just imagine what great customer experiences shared through this medium can do for your business!

I have just such an experience I just gotta tell you about.

This past 4^th of July 7, 2009 I spent a better part of my holiday celebrating one of my grandson’s 2^nd birthday. Yep, he was born on the 4^th of July!

The event would be held at our local Chuck E. Cheese here in Franklin, TN. Spending the 4^th of July at Chuck E. Cheese didn’t really excite me even if it was my grandson’s birthday but none the less, I was going to make the best of it.

My daughter and son-in-law had made the reservations for the party online. I really did not know what to expect because it had been years since I had set foot in a Chuck E. Cheese anywhere. We arrived promptly at twelve noon and were ushered to our table which was all setup beautifully with balloons, décor, plates and cups. I thought to myself, well looks like they were expecting us alright, this is a good start.

It was just a few moments as we begin deciding where we were all going to sit when a very friendly employee showed up and she informed us she was our personal hostess for the party. From the moment we entered to the moment we left (2 ½ hours later!) we experienced some of the best customer service I have seen since I last was in California year eating at my favorite burger joint In-n-Out Burger.

Every single employee including Chuck E. Cheese himself (he made a live appearance for the kids) was super caring, super nice and extremely attentive to us all. The manager, the hostess, the servers, folks behind the counter, the door greeter…everyone had the best attitude and gave us such exceptional customer service!

If that were not enough, we also had a great pizza meal, (served piping hot), we were entertained with a special birthday show, we had a fantastic arcade of fun games and fun activities for all ages to enjoy ourselves at, the kids got all kinds of extra bonuses from goodies they could get from the tickets they won at the arcade to birthday goodies from Chuck E. Cheese.  It was a safe, and clean, family fun experience our family will never forget.

I can’t tell you how so very pleased I was to finally receive the kind of customer service and value I believe all customers deserve when transacting with a business.

What kind of impact do you think this level of service and experience has had on me? Well, for starters, I’m sharing it with you! I also intend to recommend Chuck E. Cheese to everyone I know, all my family and friends and I am going to personally be a Chuck E. Cheese fan for the first time in my life!

Now that is the kind of impact you want to leave on your customers so they will in turn be so excited and pleased with the experience of doing business with you they become your sales force, your evangelists.  I hope corporate Chuck E. Cheese (CEC Entertainment, Inc. is headquartered in Irving, Texas) are members of the social networking sphere and join in the conversations about them. If you are, and it would do you well if you are listening to the customer…it’s a no brainer great customer experiences starts with great leadership and culture. The folks at Chuck E. Cheese in Franklin, Tennessee (General Manger Telisha Biles, managers Michelle and John and our wonderful host Emma and all the others there) get that.

As a result, we got the fruit of their commitment to the customer. I hope corporate  Chuck E. Cheese is smart to honor them for the job well done. Give them a raise too will ya?

P.S. Could not find Chuck E. Cheese on Twitter even though there is plenty of conversation going on about them. Not surprising though. Many companies are just missing the boat when it comes to embracing social media. Too bad.

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