If you have not read "The Fred Factor, Your passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary in extraordinary, by Mark Sanborn I suggest you add it to your reading list.
The description of making the ordinary extraordinary is what we strive to do in our business. Everyone's goal is or should be to pick up freight and deliver it safely and on time, that is the ordinary. What can make it exceptional? In trucking we often work with the owner of the company, the person who made the object to be transported, or the managers. Arriving in a clean and well-maintained truck with paperwork in order, either when picking up or delivering, trailer or box swept out and clean, straps and pads ready to be used. Taking care to strap in the freight professionally and ready to be transported to the destination with out worries of freight damage. Presenting ourselves in a clean and neat manner, confident in our abilities, and respect for our customer. This is one step in making a customers experience extraordinary.
In the Fred Factor, Fred a postal carrier who gives exceptional service to the patrons on his route. He creates value with his service by going above and beyond his duties and recognizes his customer’s needs. This service was probably not in his job description. The book goes on to explain how the Fred principle works in every situation from cleaning bathrooms to being the CEO - give added value. We are the ones that decide to be like "Fred" not our job description.
Another example is The Jungle Cruise featured at all Disney Parks and is one of the oldest rides that are still cruising to this day. Every time I go to a Disney park I make it a point to ride the Jungle Boats to get a laugh. My favorite time to ride the Jungle Cruise is as my last ride of the night and my last night at the park. Why? Because this ride starts in line as I wait for my boat to arrive and I listen to the sounds of the jungle. When the boat arrives we get in and anticipation mounts as we wait to hear what corny jokes our skipper will share. The adventure has not changed much since the first excursion in 1955 and the jokes are just as corny. The Skipper of the boat is who makes this ride extraordinary. The Jungle Boat Cruise is a total package; if one factor is missing then the extraordinary is gone.
It is up to us to create the magic, or the Fred Factor, with our customers as well as the public we interact with every day. Pick up your copy of the "Fred Factor" and see if it will not change your thinking from ordinary to extraordinary.
