3 Stories: What Sets These Shops Apart

What sets a Marketing Services Provider (MSP) apart? Their service offerings? Their database management and creative design? Their ability to replicate challenging colors?

To a certain extent, for sure. But often, it’s just the little things they do that go a long way. Here are three stories of going the extra mile that have stuck with me:
1. A client was adding a QR Code to its direct mailers, and on a whim, the print shop owner took out his phone and scanned the code. To his alarm, it went nowhere. The URL to the microsite had been changed and nobody had gone back and replaced the QR Code to match. Disaster averted!
2. A political mailing specialist often found misspellings and other errors in its client mailings, including the misspelling of candidates’ names. It happened so frequently that it assigned one of its team members to proof all of the mailings that go through—every time—saving face for its clients on a regular basis.
3. Just a few days ago, I interviewed a marketing agency that ordered pop-up polygons for a special event. Instead of using the printer’s mailing services, it decided to hand-apply special add-ons and mail in its own packaging. Knowing the client was not using its specially designed carriers, the printer was concerned that the polygons would deploy at the wrong time. At no charge, it offered to supply cardboard bands to hold the polygons closed until the recipient removed them. The agency was overwhelmed. Who does that? My guess is that the printer has now earned a client for life.
Everyone puts “outstanding customer service” on their websites, but certain companies really live it out, and their clients notice. You can’t buy that kind of positive word of mouth.
What steps are you taking to go above and beyond? Please share a story.