Posted on July 24, 2024 by Danny Snow
This post comes from guest blogger, Danny Snow.
Last week, we faced one of the hardest moments a pet owner can experience – saying goodbye to our beloved 17-year-old cat, Leo. He had been sick for a while and our veterinarian was unable to do anything more to help him.
After a lot of thought and discussion, we found a pet hospice company that would come to our house and help us as we said goodbye to Leo. This was an incredibly tough decision but we found solace in the compassionate care provided by Lap of Love (www.lapoflove.com), an organization dedicated to supporting families through the loss of their pets.
I tend to recognize the service element in any experience I have in the world. This is certainly something I picked up from my parents as our lives have revolved around customer service. I think about my dad, Dennis, and his journey with a cancer diagnosis back in 2020. One of the first things he did upon finishing chemo and radiation treatments was to write about the overwhelmingly positive experience he had with the healthcare team and relate it to applicable business principles for any organization. If you’re interested, you can read about his experience here, www.snowassociates.com/blog/learnings-from-my-cancer-journey.
Our family's experience with Leo highlighted the profound impact of exceptional customer service and how it shapes the overall customer experience. Although this was a challenging time for us, I believe there are many things that organizations can learn from Lap of Love.
My wife made the initial phone call, and it was evident that Lap of Love prioritizes comprehensive training for their staff. Her call was handled with professionalism and sensitivity, and we promptly received emails with resources on coping with grief, including advice on talking to our children about the loss.
For our kids, Leo has been around for their entire lives, and this would be their first experience with loss. I want to note that we have lost family members, however, our kids were either too young at the time to truly understand what was happening or hadn’t met them in person more than once or twice. We understood that this is likely to be an experience they’ll always remember, and it was helpful to receive advice on the best way to approach it with them.
This level of preparedness set the tone for a supportive and well-coordinated experience.
Training in customer service is not just about following a script; it's about enhancing the customer experience through well-prepared and empathetic interactions. Lap of Love’s seamless communication and sharing of information reassured us that we were in capable hands. Every interaction from start to finish felt intentional and well thought out, reflecting a deep understanding of the emotional challenges we were facing.
Empathy plays a crucial role in shaping a positive customer experience. This was evident in every interaction we had with Lap of Love, especially with Dr. Mimi, who came to our home. Upon walking through our front door, she gave us both a big hug and expressed how sorry she was for what we were going through. While such gestures may be part of their training, the sincerity behind it was unmistakable.
She noticed we weren’t wearing shoes and promptly removed hers, a gesture that told us she respected our home’s environment. My wife and I both work from home so we rarely wear shoes during the day and don’t mind people wearing shoes in the house. But, it was her attention to detail that resonated with me and this small act signaled her attentiveness and respect for us, which I think helped foster an atmosphere of comfort and trust.
In challenging times, the smallest details can make a significant difference. She sat with us, asked about Leo, and explained the process with clarity and compassion. She asked if we would like to have calming music playing in the background. This was something we hadn’t considered but found that it was a nice touch that helped to create a peaceful environment for Leo’s final moments.
After Leo passed, she carefully prepared his paw print in clay and arranged him in a final resting pose with great care. These actions, though likely routine, were executed with a level of intentionality that conveyed genuine empathy and respect for our loss.
The day after we received a follow-up email from Dr. Mimi. She expressed that she appreciated getting to meet with us while recognizing that she wished it didn’t have to be under such sad circumstances. It also contained new support materials that we could utilize if needed in dealing with grief.
About a week later we received a heartfelt handwritten note in the mail from Dr. Mimi. It’s something that took just a few moments of her time but made us think, “Wow, she was really special.”
These are simple touches but they continued the level of care we experienced throughout the process.
I believe in the power of following up. Whether it’s for a potential customer who expressed interest in your product/service but has gone silent, after a customer has purchased from you, or even ones that didn’t ultimately purchase. We have earned many opportunities just due to the commitment to following up.
From a business perspective, Lap of Love’s approach left no room for improvement. Their meticulous planning and focus on every single detail ensured that every aspect of our experience was as smooth as possible.
This level of service is not an accident. Rather, it comes from understanding the true purpose of their job and then creating their processes with a focus on seeing everything through the lens of their customer. From there, it was easy to see that they are trained in every aspect to ensure a commitment to excellence in every detail.
While I sincerely hope that I never need to use Lap of Love’s services again, I have no doubt in my mind that they would be our only call should we find ourselves in need. I will also recommend them to anyone who asks.
Our experience with Lap of Love and Dr. Mimi highlighted three critical elements that I believe any business can benefit from.
These elements combined to create a supportive and respectful farewell for our beloved Leo, leaving us with a lasting sense of gratitude amidst our grief. Any business aiming for customer service excellence should incorporate these principles to elevate their customer service and create memorable, positive experiences.
Would you like to read additional articles by Danny Snow? You can find a couple of them here;
The Subtleties of Customer Experience: Lessons From a Real World Scenario: https://snowassociates.com/blog/the-subtleties-of-customer-experience-lessons-from-a-real-world-scenario
The Importance of Walking The Talk As A Leader: https://snowassociates.com/blog/the-importance-of-walking-the-talk-as-a-leader
If you want to learn how Snow & Associates, Inc. can help your organization deliver memorable customer experiences, visit us at https://snowassociates.com/.