An Arresting Act of Customer Service

The Austin Police Department arrested my attention last week.

While returning from a short jog at my gym, I noticed one police car parked sideways in the half-full lot. I also noticed two police officers looking at the front windshield of cars in the parking lot. Occasionally these officers would write something on a piece of paper and slide it under the windshield wiper of a car.

I thought to myself, "Hey, this can't be right. Getting a ticket for an expired registration sticker while parked at the gym isn't fair." A closer look revealed something else.

These cops were looking inside cars for easily seen valuables beckoning burglars to steal. So instead of writing tickets, these cops were placing friendly warning signs on cars letting people know their cars are potential targets for a burglar.

This was an act of great customer service because delivering customer service is about reacting to what a customer does, says, or doesn't do.

Picture a holiday shopper entering a store with their hands full of bags. Great customer service for an employee is to recognize the harried shopper and ask if they can put the shopper's bags behind the counter.

Great customer service also happens when an employee responds to a question someone asks about a product on twitter.

And, great customer service happens when a police officer takes the time to relay a friendly warning to a citizen who didn't hide their valuables in their car while parked at the gym.

Comments

[Phillip Copley]

It's good to see the police in your area are there to help, not just issue speeding tickets. A good initiative on the part of the department.

However, you said that "getting a ticket for an expired registration sticker while parked at the gym isn't fair." Fair is a relative term, but by having an expired registration sticker you broke the law, and they would have been completely within their right to issue you a citation.

[john moore (from Brand Autopsy)]

Fair is a relative and squishy word. Yes, the Police would have been in their right to issue such a ticket because someone is violating the law. That said, giving such tickets in such a setting would be Bad PR and not the Good PR they were doing. Dig?

[Ricardo Bueno]

I have to say, that's pretty cool/nice/awesome of them!

I've unfortunately been there, a long time ago... Someone broke into our car to steal a cd player and some cd's that were in clear view. Certainly not a good experience!

[Chris Melton]

Bravo!

[W.A.]

Interesting. I never knew the police can do anything else aside from arresting, chasing, and issuing tickets. LOL. Kidding aside, it sure is a nice initiative of the police to give friendly warning signs. At least they're not just catching the criminals but also preventing the crimes as soon as possible with the cooperation of their communities.