Everyone knows the story of Nordstrom returning a set of tires — even though they don’t sell tires — for the sake of customer service. We’ve heard how Morton’s Steakhouse met someone at the airport, piping hot porterhouse in hand, simply because they jokingly tweeted how nice it would be. These are WOW moments. Or, in the parlance of Barney Stinson, these stories are legen — wait for it — dary.
Why? These stories get shared. Your customers can’t believe it. They can’t stop talking about it and want all their friends to know. Even better, your employees are WOWed, too, spurring imitators and encouraging increasingly creative WOW-worthy moments.
How can you motivate employees and create legends at your business?
- Display a Digital Frame full of WOW. When you first walk into the Ruby office you’ll be greeted, offered a seat, and treated to coffee or water. While you wait, a digital frame circulates our best WOW stories, highlighting our virtual receptionists for jobs exceedingly well done. Ruby employees get to see these stories every day when they walk in the office or while they answer phones and greet visitors in the front lobby. A slideshow is a great reminder of all the ways they can WOW and provides some very public recognition!
- Core Values in Action Awards. Each quarter, after the last call of the night, the Ruby team gathers for a staff meeting to create community, geek out over KPIs, learn, and launch new incentive campaigns. Our Director of Culture, Sarah Sackett, kicks things off with our Core Values in Action Awards (or CViA for short). All quarter long, Rubys can nominate their peers (or themselves!) for exemplifying our Core Values, and Sarah recognizes the very best with a CViA amidst loud cheering from the rest of the staff. One stand-out story gets the prestigious honor of “WOW Story of the Quarter” and a crisp $100 bill!
- WOW Station. Inspired by a suggestion from one of our virtual receptionists, we created a “WOW Station” to give Rubys inspiration and tools to make even more connections with our clients. Rather than tucking it away in a corner or supply room, this station stands in the middle of our break room for all to see. Its drawers are stocked with bright orange and pink tissue paper, blank notecards, and gift ideas. Stories of past gifts and compliments and handwritten thank you cards from clients decorate the space, sparking creativity and creating even more legends!
