Author of the best seller Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn, is quick to recognize exceptional customer service. Recently, an afternoon flight he had booked was cancelled and he had to leave early – his story follows.

“The only option was an 11:30 am flight so we took it. That meant a hurried and harried job of packing and leaving the resort hours earlier than planned.

We had prepaid for a shuttle service to the airport that we now couldn’t use, and I decided I’d bite the bullet and pay for a private car to make our flight. Darren at the front desk helped with the logistics. He said the shuttle service had a cancellation fee but he’d see what he could do.

He got the cancellation fee waived.

Darren quickly became my service hero. He had more clout with the shuttle service than I did, and he used the power of relationship to help a guest. He also arranged the private car in short order.

Sometimes distinction is in things, but more often than not, it is in the way we treat customers. Darren is proof.”