Tandem Service

My anniversary was coming up.  When I asked my sweetheart if there was anything she wanted to do, I got a surprising answer.  She responded that she had already made a commitment to take our youngest daughter and some of her friends on a bike ride and asked if I wanted to come.  What was really surprising about this was I don’t think Rebekah has been on a bike for almost 2 decades!  I agreed as I really didn’t want to be alone on the couch for my anniversary.  I started thinking about what could I do to make this fun and memorable.  All of the sudden I was struck with the notion of a tandem or bicycle built for two!  Finding a bike was no small task and took me a significant amount of time searching and calling. 

That’s where my business thought beings.  Upon calling “Geared Up Wyoming,” a bike shop in Pinedale, I spoke with Andrew Zook. When I asked about the chance of getting a tandem bicycle for rent, he replied that while he didn’t have one in his shop, he had done some work on one a year back.  He further shared that he would “make some calls” and get back with me.  In a few short hours, Andrew called me back with the news that he had talked with the customer from a year back who was willing to rent his bike to me for my anniversary.  I was bowled over by the level of service Andrew provided.  I quickly agreed and told him I would drive to Pinedale to meet him at the shop and pick up the bike. 

The shop was clean and well stocked with a variety of bikes and a large assortment of bike accessories.  Once Andrew had walked me through the paperwork and processed the transaction, he volunteered to help me load the bike.  Upon seeing my small Dodge Dakota truck, Andrew knowledgably suggested using straps like when transporting a motorcycle.  He then jumped into the back of my truck and helped me strap it down.

I was able to get the bike back through Wyoming’s winds to Lander where I was able to have a wonderful experience with my wife and daughter.  If you haven’t gone on a bicycle built for two, I highly recommend it.

As I pondered this experience, it reminded me of something powerful in business.  Customer service has the ability to both create and eliminate customers.  Andrew’s willingness to call a customer he had done work with over a year ago to ask if a stranger could rent his beautiful ride and take it hours away was remarkable.  He didn’t have to do it, but he did.  As a result, I will always recommend his shop, Geared Up Wyoming.  He illustrated something that successful entrepreneurs and businesses understand.  Outstanding customer service creates loyalty.  I spent more than I wanted to on my anniversary bike experience because I was so impressed with Andrew and his dedication to serve a customer.  As businesses learn and recognize this principle, like Andrew, they will create a loyal customer base who will help their business not only survive, but thrive in these competitive times.

This story wouldn’t be complete without a picture of my beautiful wife Rebekah and me, her lucky guy who experienced Tandem Service!  If you have experienced some fantastic customer service recently, I would love to hear about it.  Include a hyperlink if applicable.  Keep moving forward!