I’m doing a project that requires parking in downtown Raleigh, NC. I knew a garage spot was going to cost around $100/month. McLaurin Parking has exclusive management contracts on city-owned and private parking garages throughout most of downtown Raleigh. Given its virtual monopoly, I wasn’t expecting a huge level of customer service from McLaurin.
Paula, the new employee at the front desk, proved me wrong. Here’s the email I sent to her manager the next day:
I’m writing to let you know how helpful Paula Myers was on Thursday afternoon. I’m doing a short-term consulting project in downtown Raleigh and needed a parking spot near 2 Hannover Square. At 28, this is the first time I’ve needed to pay for long-term parking.
I’d visited McLaurin’s website but wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. And frankly, since you have exclusive management contracts on effectively all of the garages nearby, I wasn’t expecting a high level of service, even for something that costs $1,200/year. Paula proved me wrong.
She was helpful, friendly, and patient. Paula answered all my questions and ensured the whole process went smoothly, both on the phone and in person. The timing makes her service even more impressive — I got in at 4:50 and left shortly after 5:00, but I never got the sense that Paula was trying to rush me out the door. I was surprised to learn that she recently joined McLaurin, since she seemed to know what she was doing.
Congrats on finding such a customer-friendly employee. I wanted share my experience with you and I hope she’s recognized for her attitude.
After expecting a horrible or indifferent experience, I was happily surprised. I was also pleased to learn that the parking contract has a 10-day cancellation notice, instead of the 30-day notice that the website mentions.
When her manager replied to my message, he noted, “We rarely hear about the things our employees do right so it is really nice to get emails like these.”
I’m a firm believer in sending a kudos note to a person’s manager, or asking for a phone or store rep’s supervisor, to let them know when their employee did an above-average job. I do it a few times a month — it costs me nothing, aside from staying on the line or in the store a few extra minutes, but the feedback makes a difference for the person who went above and beyond. Saying thank you is free.
Do you share positive feedback with a frontline employee’s manager?
Hi David,
I’m writing to let you know how helpful Paula Myers was on Thursday afternoon. I’m doing a short-term consulting project in downtown Raleigh and needed a parking spot near 2 Hannover Square. At 28, this is the first time I’ve needed to pay for long-term parking.
I’d visited McLauren’s website but wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. And frankly, since you have exclusive management contracts on effectively all of the garages nearby, I wasn’t expecting a high level of service, even for something that costs $1,200/year. Paula proved me wrong.
She was helpful, friendly, and patient. Paula answered all my questions and ensured the whole process went smoothly, both on the phone and in person. The timing makes her service even more impressive — I got in at 4:50 and left shortly after 5:00, but I never got the sense that Paula was trying to rush me out the door. I was surprised to learn that she recently joined McLaurin, since she seemed to know what she was doing.
Congrats on finding such a customer-friendly employee. I wanted share my experience with you and I hope she’s recognized for her attitude.
Regards,
Karl
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Nice job! It’s much easier to comment on the negative experiences when you’re in the moment and ticked off.
@Caroline: Exactly. It can be frustrating but I try to step back and figure out how to solve the problem. I’ve never understood travelers yelling at the gate agent at the airport — it probably wasn’t the agent’s fault in the first place, and it certainly doesn’t make the employee inclined to help the passenger.
Thoughtful post! Thank you for sharing it. I like what you said about – it costs me nothing! And its true, we only stop to complain & make noise when things don’t go the way we expect it to. Its all about taking that extra few mins. to just say thank you & appreciate them for giving us a great service. Time to spread the good karma!