I’ve got to tell you this story, because it is so important, and I think we all can learn something from it.
I was blow away this past week. I mean, like literally, blown away. I saw a demonstration of customer/patient service that raised the bar so high, I honestly think it cannot be surpassed.
My son who recently turned 13 has weakened adult molars. Four teeth in particular did not form correctly, I don’t know what the medical term is, but what I do know is the enamel on the teeth was weakened and porous. Although we have consulted with several different dentists through the year, no one knows for sure why it is other than saying it is a condition that they see when a child is born premature and/or has high fever when they are young.
Our son was born a month early, and like most kids had a least one high fever as a baby. Either way, chalk it up to bad luck, but it is what it is. Having told you all of that, two of the teeth in particular were really bad, and after many consultations with multiple dentist and his orthodontist, the decision was made to extract the two teeth and then pull the balance of his teeth forward with braces.
Our orthodontist is a guy named Dr. Barbieri. Dr. Barbieri is a rock star as it relates to marketing, customer/patient relations, and just overall brand that he has built as it relates to his practice. In fairness to Dr. Barbieri, he sort of has a captive audience in that kids need braces, he supplies them, in theory he wouldn’t really have to try that hard to be successful given the field he’s in. And yet, Dr. Barbieri is the gold standard for orthodontist and his office the best there is.
And this is where we drop into the last weeks events. Dr. Barbieri referred us to an oral surgeon to perform the teeth extractions. Me, being the mean parent, scheduled the surgery during fall break, so that way my son didn’t miss any school. There was some disagreement with my strategy, but hey, that’s why I’m the parent and my son isn’t!
The surgery itself went off without a hitch, however in post op, the oral surgeon literally wheeled our son to the curb while he was still waking up from the anesthesia. Worse yet, one of the side effects of the waking up process is the child feeling like they are waking from a nightmare. So here is my son, huddled up clutching his knees, gauze stuffed in his mouth to control the bleeding from the teeth just removed, panicked not knowing where he was or what was going on. And the surgeons nurse wheeling him to the exit and loading him into our car.
My wife rode in the back seat trying to comfort our son while he regained consciousness. Our hearts broke as our son came in and out as he awoke from the medicine. By the time we got home, he was semi-aware of who he was, and how we were, but I’ll tell you it is an hour of life I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy seeing your child in that state.
Knowing how hard Dr. Barbieri has worked on building his brand and his reputation, I really felt the need to reach out to him and at least convey our experience with the doctor he had referred us to, a doctor that was in effect trading on Dr. Barbieri’s good name and reputation.
Having left a message, Dr. Barbieri called me later that afternoon, and I told him our experience. I stated to Dr. Barbieri how protective I am about my name. To me, there is a big difference between telling a person how good a particular thing is versus telling a person how a good a thing is and then telling them to let them know that I referred them. I expect a referral from me to mean something, and if a person I refer doesn’t represent me well, it reflects poorly on that person but on me as well. Dr. Barbieri is the exact same way, the oral surgeon trading on his name did not deliver the same level of excellence as what Dr. Barbieri does, and as such it stands to tarnish the brand Dr. Barbieri has worked so hard to build.
Dr. Barbieri thanked me for the feedback, and honestly the story should end there.
But it didn’t. The next day, I wondered outside for a minute, and found a box on our front porch addressed to our son Ethan. I took it inside, gave it to my son, and both my wife and I scratched our heads in curiosity not knowing what the package was. My son set to opening the package, and there he found not one, not two, but FIVE pints of Jeni’s Ice Cream along with a note from Dr. Barbieri and his team offering sympathy for the bad experience along with suggesting that perhaps ice cream will help with sore jaw.
There are a lot of things that can be said at that moment in time. For me personally, I think I felt a tear or two well up in emotion knowing that Dr. Barbieri and his team, though so much of my child, to send a care package when none was needed, just to say sorry for the actions of someone else.
Wow!!!
I’m not normally at a loss for words, but even now, a week after that event, every time I tell the story, I find myself at this precipice not knowing what to say next.
I’ve been writing Monday Morning Minute for almost 2 years now, my word count suggests I have authored almost 42,000 words. And yet I am currently without the right words. So let me leave you with this.
When, not if, BUT WHEN, you have the moment to exceed somebody’s expectations, expectations they may not even know need to be exceeded. TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO BLOW THEIR MIND.
Dr. Barbieri blew our minds away with what he and his team did with our son, and trust me, I’m sure I’m just one of thousands of parents across Middle Tennessee who have similar stories to tell.
Don’t miss that opportunity when it is presented to you. The impact you make on others have the ability to change hearts, change minds, and perhaps changes lives. Don’t miss out on being that agent of change in the world you live.
For reference, and again this is a Monday Morning Minute First, here is a link to Dr. Barbieri and his practice. His actions almost make me want to get braces again!!!
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