Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference.  That's what happened to me the other day.  I had to get an oil change so I headed to a  place close to home since it was fast and quick.  I could see something  hanging down from my Toyota Sienna and the oil change guy said I needed to get a bolt for the skid plate.  Glad he told me the name since I am clueless about cars, and knowing the name of things does make you sound like you know something.  I told him that I'd probably just swing by Toyota to see if they could fix it and he cautioned me against that fearing that I would get charged a lot of money for a bolt that I could pick up at any local auto parts store.  It sounded like good advice to me and I was going to do it,  but when I was down in "the mess" (Fields Ertel Road) yesterday,  I was driving by Kings Toyota and thought, I'm going to pull in and see if they could just get that bolt.  A combo of being right there without my kids, being lazy,  and my worry that I wouldn't be able to find the needed bolt at the auto parts store diverted my car into the service station.

I pulled up to a full load of cars waiting to get their chance for service.  Carl, a nice older gentleman wearing a red valet shirt approached my car with a smile and kindly asked if I had an appointment.  "No", I said, "I just have a skid plate that is missing a bolt and was hoping to get one".  He then dipped below the front of the van and asked me to wait just a minute.  I saw him head to the service garage and within 3 minutes, he was back with the bolt and a tool in hand.  To my surprise, he slid under my car and bolted that skid plate back in place. 

I know reading about skid plates and bolts isn't the most exciting thing to do.   This post is more about how good customer service is the best way to foster good relationships.  Carl could have told me that I needed an appointment or  that I needed to get registered and wait my turn for service but instead, he took the initiative to help me out.  He saved me time and money by getting that bolt. I asked if there was charge and he just smiled and said, "no, just think of us the next time you need any car service".  Will do!  Carl was so nice and friendly.  Everyone in the customer service field should take lessons from Carl.  A friendly smile, and being courteous and helpful will definitely make me return to Kings Toyota for service. 

Thank you Carl & Kings Toyota for making my day and for restoring my faith that good customer service is still a priority for some companies.