I’ve been having problems recently with the browser on my BlackBerry Torch.  I kept getting a dead end, telling me that my phone “cannot find the requested browser.”

This has been going on pretty much since I got the device in January.  But, with my busy schedule, it’s hard to find the time to call in and get this figured out.  I did call AT&T in late January or early February; and they fixed the problem for a few days.  But it came back.

Earlier this week, I was sitting in the hospital waiting room with my mom.  Her husband, my step-dad, was in the ICU, and we were in the waiting room.  As a lot of people do when they’re bored, I was messing with my phone:  playing games, reading email, FaceBooking.  I tried unsuccessfully to browse onto several different websites, getting the dead end dialogue box every time.

In frustration, I fired off a tweet.  Here’s a screenshot:

Within mere moments, my phone buzzed.  An AT&T customer service representative, named Jenn, had seen my tweet.  She proceeded to DM back and forth with me over the next few hours, seeking a solution to my problem.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to solve my problem right then.  So she did the next best thing.  She scheduled a technician to call me the next day, based upon my schedule.  Jenn called me the next day, transferred me to the technician, and the problem was resolved!

I’ve heard of companies monitoring the Twitterverse, watching for opportunities to assist customers.  But this is the first time I’ve experienced it.  I have to say, I was pretty impressed.  AT&T’s proactive customer service was outstanding!

What did I learn from this experience?  Three things:

1. Care about people. AT&T is genuinely concerned about the satisfaction of their customers.  And it shows.  As a leader, if I want to make a difference in the people around me, I need to be just as genuinely concerned for them as AT&T was for me.

2. Watch for opportunities to serve. Jenn was monitoring the social media environment when she saw my tweet.  She saw an opportunity to help, and took it.  I have the same responsibility.  I need to be actively watching the people around me.  And when I see a need that I can help meet, I need to not hesitate, but jump right in and do what I can to help.

3.  Be flexible. One of the things that impressed me the most was when Jenn asked what my schedule looked like for a technician to call me.  She didn’t suggest that I call in and wait on hold forever.  She saw my time as valuable, and did what was necessary to fit into my schedule.  In ministry, people rarely have a need at a time that is convenient for me.  My responsibility is to be flexible, adjusting my schedule to help them when they need it, not when it works best for me.

AT&T understands how to provide the best customer experience possible.  And with people like Jenn on the team, they’re doing a great job at it.  They may not have the best coverage in my area, but with such a willingness to make sure I’m a happy customer, I will continue to stick with them.

Thanks AT&T, for watching out for me, for taking care of my problem, for hiring people like Jenn, and for understanding what makes a good company great.  That’s leadership.

What companies have you found to be exceptional at customer service?