When Good People Shine: A Story of Customer Success.

Today I woke up and felt somewhat rejuvenated. I had a great breakfast with my woman and got ready for my bike ride. I had a weird feeling as I headed down the stairs to my building's basement and saw the door unlocked. I proceeded down the narrow basement stairs and saw the aftermath of someone working violently on breaking into my basement compartment, and I looked inside. No bike. I wanted to be angry, upset, and shocked, but my first reaction was, "At least I have insurance."

I went out to the street out of some strange impulse, hoping my bike would be out there, but it wasn't. So then I went back upstairs and started filing the insurance claim. All good until I came to the point where it asked for a police file. I thought, seriously, I need to get the cops involved in this?

So I walked to the police station and told them what happened, and I was surprised by how much empathy I saw. I was expecting a cop, but I met Customer Success Manager deluxe.

"Sir, please come and sit next to me as this might take a while, and I don't want you to be inconvenienced any further today."

So I sat next to the cop as he was typing things up. Typing along in his flow, like he's doing the most essential job in the world. I looked at his finger, noticed a wedding ring, and started imagining what kind of husband and dad this guy was.

Then I told him, "I'm surprised you take this case so seriously. It's just a bike."

"Are you joking? This is a serious violation of your privacy. We take this seriously". And the officer goes back to typing, then calls another cop who shows up all geared up to get into his cruiser. This other cop looks at me sadly as if something terrible happened to me today. And then I find myself looking to the floor and thinking, yes, this does suck. Yes, it does matter, even if I have insurance. And it's not OK that my privacy was violated. That something was taken of me that I value.

The Customer Success Manager cop looks back at the geared-up cop, ready to head for his cruiser, and says, "Don't worry, you're not going. We're sending the fingerprint guys!" And the cop takes off his hat - somewhat disappointed - and heads back to his desk. The motivation to work!

"Fingerprint, guys? Seriously," I ask.

"If these guys are in the system, we will get them." He confidently says.

And I think to myself, man, I'm paying high taxes in this country, but I'm so glad I do. I actually see the return on investment.

"So, does this happen a lot?" I wonder.

"Oh yes, too often, especially lately, it's terrible."

Terrible? To me, terrible are terrorist attacks, school shootings, murders, and rape, but hey, maybe these things are beyond awful, and stealing my bike is already terrible? And because of this attitude, Vienna is one of the safest cities in Europe. The precinct chief walks over and tells the officer filling out my details, "You made a mistake. It's a road bike, not an e-bike. Redo it, please."

"Thank you, sir! I'll do it all over again," and in a second, everything is deleted. Then, he starts over with a smile and the same eagerness. Who is this guy? What motivates him? It's not money! He loves his job. He loves helping me right now. He's all about the customer.

Finally, he's done and tells me, "If something like this ever happens again, just call us immediately, and we'll come to you. Don't touch anything to keep a pure crime scene and increase our chances of busting these guys. So please go home now; the fingerprint guys will arrive shortly. They don't wear uniforms and have big suitcases, so don't be alarmed."

Don't be alarmed? Not wearing uniforms? Talking about Customer Success. Setting expectations from the go. Man, I am unhappy about my bike, but I'm such a happy customer right now. How do I increase my tax contributions?

20 minutes later, the fingerprints guy shows up at my door and says, "I'm so sorry I'm late and that I had to call you to ask for directions!"

Seriously, WTF??? What is going on here? How is this normal?

We go to the basement together, and he looks at the scene, takes out his camera, puts on his gloves, and starts to work.

I said to him, "I feel like it was personal. Nobody else's basement compartment was touched" kind of sad about myself.

"Oh, please don't feel that way. You probably had the most excellent bike in the building."

Damn, that's true; I did have the most excellent bike in the building. So he does his work, and then as he leaves, he puts his hand on my shoulder and says to me,

"Please remember that all these things don't matter as much as your health; trust me, I recently had a heart attack. So whatever happens in life, as long as you're healthy, be happy."

In this stressful and disheartening situation, I found solace in the unexpected kindness and professionalism of the police officers and fingerprint technician who assisted me. Despite losing my prized possession, my bike, I was reminded of the importance of valuing my privacy and property. I was struck by the care and empathy of those who serve and protect the community. This experience highlighted the power of customer service, not just in business but in everyday life. The impact it can have on those who receive it. Ultimately, this experience reminded me that our possessions are not as important as our health and well-being and that we should cherish and prioritize these above all else.

And finally that when bad things happen, good people shine.