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Sara Ritchie

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The novelist Aldous Huxley said "Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you." So, I would like to share a wonderful customer service experience I had while in Spain and on the search for souvenirs.

I was looking for something meaningful and which captured the essence of Spain without being kitschy - harder to do than it sounds.

One day, after getting lost in the labyrinth-like streets I stumbled into a leather store looking for directions.

Once inside, I was amazed at the craftsmanship in the horse bridles, the detailed wallets and the woven key-chains.

A seed was planted - walking back through the cobblestone streets, I came up with a brilliant idea for one of my friends.

Since we had bonded over our love of literature, I decided what better than a leather bookmark made by a Spanish craftsman that was embossed with the name of the first book we read together. If only I could find that store again!

Luckily, I managed to find the store again, but with my very basic level of Spanish, how was I supposed to tell the store owner what I was looking for?

When I got to the store I asked if he spoke English - no. French - mais oui! Success. After explaining to him what I was looking for, he agreed to design a bookmark and if I liked it, he would make the one I wanted.

Next day I arrived at the store and he showed me a few cuts so I could decide how I wanted it to look. Although I was picky, uncertain and took a lot of time, he waited patiently speaking every now and then to his daughter who was doing her homework in the other room.

Finally, after I chose a design, I told him what I wanted embossed. He wasn't sure if it would fit, since the bookmark only had so much space.

But again, humouring me, he told me he would try to do what I wanted and if it didn't work try another design.

The next day, I showed up at the store to see what he had come up with. In red leather, embossed in the design I wanted was the bookmark I had envisioned.

It was beautiful and so fresh that it was still drying from the cream he had rubbed into it to keep it soft.

This was definitely not a money maker for him. But his commitment to providing me with a product I was looking for, his patience with my broken Spanish and indecision, and his appreciation for my sentimental desire made the bookmark worth much more than the eight euros I paid for it.

After hearing my praises and seeing the final product, many of my girlfriends went to visit this store to get key chains, purses or their own specially designed souvenir.

Personally, I learned a lot from this experience. Even if something seems trivial to you, it can mean the world to someone else.

When you or your staff are dealing with clients - internal or external - keeping this in mind can help enhance their experience while strengthening your business' reputation.

Sara Ritchie has worked for the past 11 years in the finance industry in Saint John, Montreal and Toronto. She can be reached at sararthewriter@gmail.com.