At what point do customers see a business as more than just a business, but instead as part of the community? Well, there’s lots of ways, but high on the list– customer service. Great customer service can help your company differentiate itself and demonstrate how it cares about the community and its residents. That means engaging service that goes beyond the company manual: customer service that offers simple kindness and willingness to help–as done by employees of Gallegos Sanitation.

A Fort Collins resident, Connie’s very busy morning was not off to a good start. As many of us have done, she forgot to take out her recycling container by 7:00 a.m. on her neighborhood’s trash day. Running on schedule, the teal-colored Gallegos truck was already past her house, down the cul-de-sac at 7:05 a.m. As the truck made its way around the corner, Connie waved hoping they would see her across the wide-open space. Feeling a bit guilty that she didn’t get it out on time, Connie tried to roll her recycling container to the end of the street to catch them before they left the neighborhood. Recovering from recent shoulder surgery, this was not an easy task. The weight of the container was a bit too much for her injury to handle, so feeling a bit defeated, she decided to walk the container back to her house.

Suddenly there was that familiar beeping sound of a truck backing up. The Gallegos Sanitation truck was headed her way! Connie was grinning from ear to ear as the nicest young man smiled as he pulled up next to her. He apologized for her effort to walk the container to him. She apologized for being late, but felt relieved and even rejuvenated thinking that maybe it wasn’t going to be a bad day after all. The Gallegos driver even offered to drive Connie back to her house. The driver had no idea that Connie was recovering from surgery. It was his simple gesture of going the extra mile to accommodate her that made a difference to the start of her day. One that she greatly appreciated.

Ultimately, how we engage with the community establishes the personal connection we make with customers, driving customer satisfaction and building brand loyalty. Exceptional service is often the reason customers will choose your company over others!